‘Free’ Trips to the Doctor Increase by More Than 360,000 in Australia

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Bulk billing in Australia has risen by more than 2 percent since the government boosted incentives for trips to the doctor in November.

Australians have benefited from an estimated 360,000 more trips to the doctor being bulk billed since the incentives started, Health Minister Mark Butler said.

The government released the data on the 40th anniversary of Medicare, Australia’s publicly funded universal healthcare system.

Bulk-billing is when the government fully covers the total cost of a visit to a GP, rather than an individual having to pay a gap fee.

However, separate data released by healthcare comparison directory Cleanbill in January showed the bulk billing rate in Australia has fallen 11.1 percent in a year.

Mr. Butler said bulk billing had risen in all states and territories, and that GPs and regional and rural Australians “benefited the most.”

He said people in regional and rural areas have made an extra 202,000 free visits to the doctor in just two months.

The government tripled the incentive paid to GPs for bulk bill consultations for families with children under 16 years, pensioners, and concession card holders in the 2023-24 budget.

Mr. Butler said doctor groups have called the tripling of the bulk billing incentive a “game changer.”

“The Albanese government committed to making it easier for people to see a bulk billing doctor—and the first two months of data show that is exactly what is happening right around the country, particularly in rural and regional areas,” he said.

“At the same time, general practice incomes have increased. Eligible patients account for around three out of five visits to the GP, and in some communities much more than that, meaning a very significant increase to general practice incomes.”

Australians Delaying Seeing a GP

Productivity Commission data released on Jan. 31 shows 7 percent of people delayed or did not seeing a GP in the last financial year due to cost.

This was double the number of of individuals who reported delaying or not seeing a doctor in the 2022 financial year.

The data also revealed in the 2023 financial year, each person used 6.6 GP services in the year, including 5.4 in person visits and 1.2 telehealth appointments. This fell from 7.6 GP services per individual in the 2022 financial year.

Per individual, the government spent on average $420 per person on GP visits in the 2023 financial year, down from $461 on each individual 2022.

However, Australian government spending on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) rose to $11.6 billion in the 2023 financial year, from $10.2 billion in 2022.

The government spent $440.2 per person on average on PBS benefits in the 2023 financial year.

Cleanbill Data Paints Different Picture on Bulk Billing

A report (pdf) by healthcare comparison directory Cleanbill released in January showed the national bulk billing rate for doctors in Australia is about 24 percent.

The data showed the bulk billing rate out of 6,091 clinics surveyed fell by 11.1 percent as of January, down from 34.7 percent in 2023 to 23.6 percent in 2024.

Average out of pocket costs to see a doctor rose from $40.45 in 2023 to $41.68 in 2024.

The report surveyed 6,091 clinics nationwide, including 2,098 in New South Wales, 1,488 in Victoria, and 1,264 in Queensland.

“Fewer than one in four Australian GP clinics offer bulk billing to all adults through Medicare in 2024, and this number has fallen by over 11 percentage points on a clinic-by-clinic basis in just the last year,” the authors wrote.

“At the over 75 percent of clinics that do not offer bulk billing to adults, patients now face average out-of-pocket costs in excess of $40 almost uniformly across the country. This is paid on top of the $41.40 Medicare rebate already provided for a standard, 15-minute consultation.

“In these circumstances, it’s easy to see why over 1.2 million Australians didn’t go to see a GP in 2022-23 because of concerns surrounding cost; twice as many as in 2021-22. This should not be happening.”

RACP Health Minister’s Bulk Billing Data

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) welcomed new data from the government showing a 2.1 percent increase in bulk billing for vulnerable patients nationally.

RACGP president Dr. Nicole Higgins said last year’s federal budget was the biggest investment in general practice care for decades.

“Now we have the data to show it—a 2.1 percent increase in bulk billing nationally since the government’s tripling of bulk billing incentives for healthcare card holders, pensioners, and children went live in November,” she said.

“Today, Medicare turns 40. This is Australia’s public health insurance scheme, and it changed the course of health in our country. It’s why we have higher life expectancy and better health than many comparable countries, like the U.S.”

Dr. Higgins noted when Medicare started in 1984, it was meant to contributed to 85 percent of patient care for Australians.

However, Dr. Higgins said the gap between patient rebates and the full costs of patient care has now grown too wide.

“This is why our hospitals are under pressure, because when people can’t afford the care they need, they get sicker, and it ends up costing governments and taxpayers much more,” Dr. Higgins said.

“I look forward to continuing to work with the government on further health reforms and strengthening Medicare to better meet the needs of patients today, and in the future.”