Huge $7.9bn Medicare overhaul coming this weekend
The $7.9 billion Medicare overhaul comes into force on Saturday, meaning more Australians will soon be able to see their doctor for free.
Currently Commonwealth discount card holders and children under 16 can benefit from bulk billed services at the doctor.
But from 1 November the government will expand the service to provide access to bulk billing services for all Australians with a Medicare card.
In addition, the government will introduce the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program (BBPIP), which provides an extra 12.5 per cent incentive payment that can be split between the GP and practices that sign up to the scheme.
The Medicare overhaul was part of Anthony Albanese and Labor’s federal election campaign.
The Prime Minister pledged to invest $8 billion in Medicare in February after bulk billing rates began to fall.
Bulk billing rates dropped from 89 percent in 2020 to 78 percent in 2024.
Mr Albanese said nine in 10 GPs will offer bulk billing by 2030.
To achieve this goal, approximately 4800 applications need to sign up for the service.
But Minister for Health and Aging Mark Butler confirmed on Monday that only 900 practices have signed up for the service so far.
“We expect that number to increase throughout this week and it understates many practices that I am sure will make the decision to do so but have not yet informed the government,” he said.
He said there will be a “first wave” of apps adopting bulk billing services before others follow.
“I think mainstream practices will start to see the practice down the road or around the corner move completely to bulk billing, and they’ll take it more seriously,” he said.
“This will take some time to build but I am really pleased with the first indication of support we have received from the GP community.”
He said the move would not only benefit patients but also GPs and practices that had previously rejected BBPIP, arguing it would favor larger practices.
“Two years ago, a full-time, fully bulk-billing GP would be making around $280,000 a year after paying practice expenses,” he said.
“From this weekend they will earn $405,000 a year – that’s an increase of $125,000. This investment is of course good for the Medicare system, good for patients, but it’s also good for GPs.”
