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Doctors groups welcome the multibillion-dollar investment into Medicare but would like to see more investment into more complex general practitioner consults.
A massive $8.5 billion is to be invested into Medicare — regardless of who is elected into government this year.
The Minister for Health Mark Butler made the announcement, calling it “the single largest investment into Medicare since its creation 40 years ago”. The majority of the money is to enable bulk-billing for a GP appointment available to most Australians — promising to deliver 18 million bulk-billed GP visits each year and save patients hundreds of dollars each year in out-of-pocket costs. Patient savings are projected to be $859 million a year by 2030.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has pledged to match the promise if the Coalition wins this year’s election.
Labor has also promised to deliver more doctors and nurses into Medicare with 400 nursing scholarships and “the largest GP program in Australian history” by funding the training of 2000 GPs each year by 2028.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed the commitment that would see thousands of GPs trained annually.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright says the scale of this investment shows the government understands the critical need to fund a sustainable general practice workforce.
“We welcome the government’s workforce initiatives to build Australia’s specialist GP workforce into the future,” he said.
“The GP attraction initiative will match the wages, and parental and study leave entitlements of GP trainees to those of hospital-based doctors. This will remove one of the most significant barriers to junior doctors choosing a career in general practice.
Dr Wright also said that the proposal is asking GPs to make major changes to their operating models.
“This will require careful consideration to ensure patient care is sustainable and funding is targeted at those who need it most,” he said.
“GPs will need government support to understand and adjust to the proposed new funding model, if they choose to do so,” Dr Wright said.
“Extending bulk-billing incentives to everyone won’t necessarily mean everyone gets bulk-billed, because patient rebates are still too low to cover the cost of care,” he said.
“Ultimately, we need to make sure GPs are enabled to deliver high quality care that is sustainable and doesn’t put unreasonable pressure on practitioners to see people quickly or make it harder for people to get more time with their GP,” Dr Wright said.
The General Practice Registrars Australia (GPRA) called the announcement “historic” and a “real game changer,” its President Dr Chris Dickie said.
“The commitment to improve pay and leave entitlements for GP trainees — a reform GPRA and our members have been actively advocating for over many years — is a fantastic step forward in attracting doctors into general practice and increasing access for patients,” Dr Dickie said.
“Addressing the drop in pay, the lack of study leave, and the absence of parental leave — as proposed through these initiatives — is exactly what our members have been calling for,” he said.
“The announcement today means that GP registrars entering training in their early years will now have access to parental leave, study leave, and a base wage incentive, ensuring parity in employment conditions with hospital-based specialty registrars” Dr Dickie said.
The Australian Medical Association said it had campaigned for years for extra funding for the primary care system and welcomed the commitment.
AMA President Dr Danielle McMullen said general practitioners are the cornerstone of Australia’s health care system and equitable access to affordable GP care is essential.
More funding needed for complex care
Dr McMullen said more work was still needed to address issues relating to the growing complexity of general practice care.
“This funding package will help address affordability issues for many vulnerable and disadvantaged Australians who do not currently qualify for bulk-billing incentives. But greater support for patients with more complex needs can’t afford to be ignored,” she said.
“We need a rethink of Medicare rebates to ensure today’s patients who have increasingly complex needs get the care they require. Today’s patients have more chronic disease, more mental illness, and our population is ageing,” Dr McMullen said.
“Australians need more time with their GP, but the structure of Medicare encourages shorter consultations, meaning many patients face out-of-pocket costs,” she said.
“While bulk-billing incentives will now be available for all patients, it is important for the public to understand that general practices will still need to set their fees based on an assessment of the costs they face in running a modern medical practice,” Dr McMullen said.
The RACGP echoes the AMA’s stance on fees and bulk-billing, especially for more complex patient cases.
“More targeted funding to support people with chronic and complex conditions is still the most cost-effective way to improve Australia’s health care system,” Dr Wright said.
The RACGP calls for a 25% increase to patient rebates for mental health consults and a 40% increase to patient rebates for longer consults.
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Is baby cot free?
is formula and nappies free?
is joining sports club for kids free?
Is medical specialist free?
Is funeral free?
Why should GPs be free?
Lawyers occasionally do pro bono work. GPs often do unpaid work. But if the Government really wants everyone to have fee free medicine then they will have to pay a realistic price for the care provided. This is a con. All GPs should charge realistic fees to patients who can afford them. Only bulk bill those unable to pay a reasonable fee for the care provided. Or charge them nothing if you prefer!
If the government is serious about increasing support for general practitioners, the rebate should be increased by 12% plus incentive payment for all patients. So they can claim more money back from general practitioners that charge a gap. For GPs that choose to bulk bill, they also receive increased rebate.
And politicians have promised that if you vote for them, plumbers, electricians, mechanics and builders will drop their fees by 30% as will Woolworths, Cole’s and all petrol outlets. We’re on a winner here – government promises if you vote for them they will make private businesses drop fees by 30%?
Why do politicians assume they can manipulate private medical practices to comply? Medicare is a rebate provided to the patient to assist in meeting their medical expenses – it is not a doctor’s salary. If politicians were sincere – they would increase the patients rebate to assist them rather than trying to manipulate doctors into poverty. Bulk billing is not going to attract new doctors into general practice but instead you will get sub standard “medical advice” from others that will ultimately result in poorer outcomes and more strain on hospitals
These planned changes are also the single biggest waste of investment in medicare in 40 years, I am so gutted by such a wasted opportunity…this ‘investment’ only serves to increase and reward ‘6 minute medicine’ (and also increasing costs from over investigation and prescribing in my humble opinion, rather than relying on history, which we all know is the key component), increase wasted/junk consults (just because they are free), create patient expectation of free healthcare (even beyond general practice), and still sits well below what many clinics are currently charging to provide a quality 15 minute consultation. This will do absolutely nothing for those of us spending time with patients to understand them and their complex presentations. I understand how the public will see ‘free consults’ as a great idea, but how can the AMA/RACGP not see through this terrible idea!! The past few years has seen me advise others against a career in general practice, and this does nothing to change my mind.
The announcement of an increase in Medicare funding is to be welcomed, at least this may prevent the deterioration of Medicare for a while.. However, it does not do enough for people living in regional Australia ,for the consultation fees are much higher than what is in the federal government’s proposal. This obviously can be easily addressed by providing appropriate payments for GP working in the country area. For would also to attract young GP to go there. The proposal of more critical care centres may not help, for I doubt any top talent and experienced GP would be interested. I suspect the jobs would be very enticing for a few part time GPs or someone who is semi retired. Will it provide a first class service? Would it have enough GPs to the centres? I don’t think so.
This does nothing to provide cost of living relief for working Australian Mums and Dads who pay the taxes so everybody else can be bulk billed.
With the average cost of an item 23 being around $100 which practice in its right mind would take a $40 pay drop in order to bulk bill working Australians who are in effect subsidizing those being bulk billed.
If anything, this rewards 6-minute medicine … it is bad medicine
Nothing will lead me to go back to routine bulk-billing, or routing bulk-billing of certain groups. Bulk-billing meant accepting contempt from the general public and greater demands. I started out in this business thinking medical care should be free to the recipient but my experience has taught me that offering a free service leads to undervaluing of that service and over-use of the service.
Hang on a minute. Think about it. In reality not one extra cent has actually been invested in Medicare itself. The rebate items remain unchanged. All this extra money went towards further coercion of GPs to make their consults free to the patient by bulk billing them via the so-called BB incentive. If the patient is not BB’d, then no extra money changes hands – not one cent. And even when the BB incentive is taken into account, the total fee still falls 30-40 dollars below the most common total fee. You’ve all been conned once again. These politicians clearly still have no real idea regarding how Medicare was supposed to work. They are now trying to make normal, a gross distortion of the original spirit of the agreement.
The funding is and inherent way of bribing and for future government control of all general practice and will take away the independence of General practice. Increasing the rebate and offering tax concessions would offer GPs and patients a better deal and relationship. The government is seeking control and a contract system to eventually control fees and wages as per GB