New study shows rise in out-of-pocket costs despite GP bulk-billing increase

ABC NEWS (Australia)

GPs are urging the government to increase Medicare rebates for longer appointments, in a bid to keep people out of hospitals. More patients are being bulk billed than this time last year, but doctors warn they're facing financial strain.

Transcript

00:00What we've shown is that funding gets results.

00:05We are now seeing an increase in the bulk billing rate, but the challenge is that our

00:11out-of-pocket costs have been increasing for patients, and the cost of providing that care

00:16is increasing significantly above inflation.

00:19So there are some new costs such as payroll tax, which is quite significant, and the others

00:25are the cost of living pressures, which are rent, wage increases, utilities.

00:31When Medicare was first designed 40 years ago, it was designed to cover 85% of the cost

00:36of seeing your doctor, and now that's less than 45%.

00:39And so we're calling on the government to increase the patient's Medicare rebate, reduce

00:44the gap, and support our patients, especially in our rural and regional areas.

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