Australians under 35 would have their GP visits bulk billed under a new plan from the country’s peak body for GPs that it says will lift bulk billing rates and lower patient fees.
Ahead of the federal election, the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) on Tuesday unveiled its plan, which includes extending bulk billing incentives to this cohort of young Australians who are “doing it especially tough”.
Bulk billing incentives refer to a small payment to medical practitioners who bulk bill certain patients, meaning they directly bill Medicare for a service. They are separate from general patient rebates.
The Labor government tripled the incentive in November 2023, and it is currently available to those that bulk bill children under 16, pensioners and concession card holders.
New government billing data also released on Tuesday showed an additional six million bulk billed GP visits between this date and December 2024 — or, an average of 100,000 extra visits each week.
The RACGP wants to see the incentive extended to those aged 34 and under, with president Michael Wright saying young people are “doing it especially tough and are more likely to have delayed care due to costs”.
The government’s data showed that 77.5 per cent of all GP visits were bulk billed last December — an increase of 1.9 percentage points on October 2023 figures.
According to the RACGP, independent analysis shows its plan would lift the national bulk billing rate to 85 per cent.
‘Many people are missing out on essential care’
Wright said this year’s election is “critical”, with Australians across the country needing urgent cost of living relief, including healthcare.
“Despite Australia’s world-class health system, many people are missing out on essential care. Medicare has been underfunded for decades, including a 10-year funding freeze, so patients are paying more out-of-pocket and it’s harder for specialist GPs to bulk bill,” he said.
“At the same time, while GP numbers are increasing, they aren’t keeping pace with the need for care across Australia.”
Wright said the plan would “deliver more GPs, lower patient fees and increase bulk billing for Australia”.
The RACGP plan includes 19 initiatives, including additional funding to train an extra 1,500 GPs over the next five years, and increasing funding for longer GP consults by 40 per cent.
It says an increase in the GP workforce would generate 5.2 million additional consults per year, while out-of-pocket costs for consults longer than 20 minutes would be halved on average, from $59 to $25, saving $268 million each year.
‘We know there is more to do’
The RACGP is calling on all political parties to support its plan.
Speaking to reporters in Canberra on Tuesday, Health Minister Mark Butler reiterated Labor’s “record investment to strengthen Medicare”. But he acknowledged “there is more to do in bulk billing”.
“For Labor, bulk billing is the beating heart of Medicare. But what we have done so far is making a meaningful difference,” he said.
Health Minister Mark Butler said there is “more to do” on bulk billing. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
When asked about the RACGP’s plan, he said he welcomes dialogue with the college, which had asked for a tripling of the bulk billing incentive that Labor delivered.
“I’ve said over the course of the last several weeks, of course Labor will take to the next election a strong Medicare policy,” he said, adding the government will be “talking closely” with the RACGP, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and patient groups.
When asked what that would look like, Butler said: “We will have more to say about that between now and the election”.
On Sunday, the government announced that would subsidise a range of therapies and treatments, which was welcomed by the Coalition.
In a video on Instagram, Opposition leader Peter Dutton said a Coalition government would “guarantee growing Medicare funding, supporting bulk billing, and double Medicare-funded mental health sessions”.
