Health Minister addresses BBPIP sign-up rate

Just days out from landmark changes to Medicare, the Health Minister has declared he is ‘very confident there’s going to be a big expansion of bulk billing’ from 1 November, despite ongoing concern from GPs.
 
With the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program (BBPIP) beginning on Saturday, 900 clinics who currently charge gap fees have expressed interested in the initiative, as well as 1000 bulk-billing clinics.
 
But spruiking the plan on Monday, Federal Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler revealed he expects that number to increase over this week.
 
‘We’ve sent communication to every general practice in the country, setting out what the record investment we’re making will mean for their practice,’ he said.
 
‘They’re going through those numbers, obviously making their own assessment about whether the practice will be better off and whether … the GPs that work in their practice will be better off.
 
‘Already a couple of thousand of them have indicated that they’re going to do that.
 
‘A number of them are already bulk-billing practices but as I say, almost a thousand of them are practices that this week are charging gap fees, but they’ve indicated next week they’ll be fully bulk billing.’
 
According to the ‘Bulk Billing for all Australians’ assessment, published earlier this year, the program’s success ‘is largely dependent on the sector’s willingness and commitment to participate’.
 
The analysis says a target of 87.8% bulk-billed GP services by 2028–29 and 3600 clinics signing up to the program within two years of launch will be ‘the most important measures of success’.
 
When asked why practices are not transitioning to the new program, Minister Butler said it is because they are still ‘crunching their numbers’.
 
‘General practices will start to see that the practice down the road or around the corner has moved to fully bulk billing, and they take that more seriously themselves,’ he said.
 
‘This will take some time to build but I’m really delighted at the first indication of support we’ve got from the general practice community.’
 
Mr Butler added that ‘it is also good for practices and good for GPs themselves’.
 
‘Two years ago, a full-time, fully bulk-billing GP would have been earning about $280,000 a year after they paid their practice costs,’ he said.
 
‘From this weekend, they’ll be earning $405,000 a year, a $125,000 increase.
 
‘This investment is obviously good for the Medicare system, good for patients, but it’s also good for GPs themselves.’
 
Last week, the RACGP released a suite of assets designed to support members when the new incentives roll out, regardless of their chosen billing model.
 
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bulk billing Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program