RACGP says reliance on bulk billing metric is ‘disappointing’

RACGP Vice President Associate Professor Michael Clements has expressed his disappointment in the Federal Government and Health Minister Mark Bulter’s latest announcement, which states that it is ‘making it easier for people to see a bulk-billing doctor’.
 
The Government is basing its claims on internal data which reportedly shows the national bulk-billing rate for May reached 79%, a 3.4% increase from when last November’s incentives kicked in.
 
Minister Butler said the statistics show the incentives are ‘helping make Medicare stronger’ and represent a ‘win all round for patients, doctors and the health system’.
 
But not everyone is convinced, with the Opposition calling the Government out based on Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data that shows Medicare is now covering the lowest percentage of GP fees on record, at 84% in April 2024.
 
‘Australians are paying the highest amount of fees to see a doctor in history, and this is happening in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis,’ Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said.
 
‘The data clearly shows this Government is weakening Australia’s access to affordable healthcare, not strengthening it.’
 
Last year annual bulk-billing rates fell to their lowest point in more than a decade.
 
With Governments of both sides often keen to promote high bulk-billing rates, the RACGP has repeatedly said the metric is not a reliable indicator of healthcare system functionality, a point reinforced again by Associate Professor Clements.
 
‘It is disappointing to hear the Federal Government using bulk-billing rates as a proxy for good healthcare,’ he said.
 
‘We know that there is so much more to providing good health and outcomes to our communities that isn’t revealed by bulk-billing rates in certain areas.’
 
Associate Professor Clements said although the RACGP supports the move to increase incentives, it is ‘quite appropriate’ for the Opposition to call out these figures.
 
‘We know there has been a change in the amount of patients, or percentage of patients bulk billed – particularly in rural, remote areas – and there’s been an increase in the number of patients treated through urgent care clinics,’ he said.
 
‘At the same time, we still have rural and remote practices continuing to close.
 
‘Bulk-billing percentage targets are a political goal, but what we’re focusing on is giving every Australian across all rural, regional and urban areas access to general practice care, and we know that there’s more and more evidence accumulating of people deferring their care because they don’t have access to a GP.’
 
Instead of the bulk-billing rate, Associate Professor Clements believes the Government should be focused on clinic closures, access to care for the general public and increasing the GP workforce.
 
‘The [November] incentives were only targeting pensioners, children and concession card holders, which means there’s a whole raft of Australians missing out on any kind of support from the Government to access a GP,’ he said.
 
Since the tripled bulk-billing incentive was introduced there has been consistent growth in GP consultations, though Associate Professor Clements believes this has just temporarily stopped the downward trend.
 
‘It’s a pause in a decline of billing rates, and they’re calling it an increase,’ he said.
 
‘They’re sort of pointing at that one statistic but actually the average out-of-pocket cost to see a doctor is going up.’
 
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bulk-billing rates Federal Government general practice funding Mark Butler Medicare politics