Medicare and workforce boost top RACGP election asks

The RACGP is calling for politicians of every hue to pledge more support for millions of patients currently struggling to afford healthcare, saying it must be a ‘priority for voters’.
 
Ahead of the Federal Election, which is due to be held within the next four months, RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said affordable care is a ‘critical’ issue for many Australians.
 
Among the election commitments called for by the college is a 40% increase to patient rebates for level C and D consultations.
 
It is predicted this policy, if adopted, would cut patients’ out-of-pocket fees in half, as well as fund an extra 4.6 million bulk-billed appointments every year.
 
The RACGP has also called for expanded eligibility for health assessments targeting early diagnosis for several health issues affecting women.
 
‘Patient care is getting more complex, many of our patients have multiple medical conditions and there are more mental health consultations,’ Dr Wright told newsGP.
 
‘Providing that care takes time, and Medicare has long penalised GPs for spending more time with their patients with relatively lower rebates.
 
‘These measures are designed to deal with that long-standing bias.’
 
Dr Wright said committing to the policy would benefit female GPs in particular, pointing towards findings in the RACGP’s Health of the Nation report showing female GPs spent an average of three-and-a-half minutes longer with patients than their male counterparts.
 
‘We’re trying to focus increased Medicare funding on the patients needing more complex care, and the GPs providing that care, who are more likely to be female GPs,’ he said.

Dr Wright also urged politicians to back the RACGP’s call to extend eligibility for MBS health assessments aimed at improving early diagnosis and management of some women’s health issues, a move he said would help address inequities in the current system.
 
‘This is about extending access for comprehensive, planned health assessments to conditions such as endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, menopause and perimenopause, which are complex and need dedicated time,’ he said.
 
‘This initiative, along with the increase in longer consultations, is designed to give women more time and more access to the GP care they need.’
 
More support is also needed to encourage medical students to specialise in general practice according to the RACGP, with the college calling for an additional 1500 training places to be funded over the next five years.
 
‘This is such an important time for general practice and for patients’ access to high quality care,’ Dr Wright said.
 
‘We know we haven’t been training enough GPs for a long time, and we’ve also not been funding general practice properly.
 
‘We know that incentives work, we’ve now got the evidence that the RACGP can efficiently train more GPs so that GPs are available all around the country.’
 
New RACGP data found incentive payments encouraging medical students into general practice are having a significant impact.
 
In Victoria, the number of GPs in training increased by 22% this year compared to 2024, with RACGP attributing the rise to the Victorian Government’s $40,000 GP training incentives program.
 
With an election likely to be called shortly, healthcare is set to be a key electoral battleground.
 
In early January, news reports suggested that Labor is likely to make Medicare policy one of its main election pitches, including a possible expansion to bulk billing.
 
No details have yet been confirmed.
 
While bulk-billing incentives introduced in 2023 have increased access to children and concession card holders, data suggests more people who are not eligible are avoiding visits to their GP due to cost concerns.
 
In its Budget response last May, meanwhile, the Coalition committed to investing $400 million in incentive payments to encourage more medical students into general practice.
 
However, full details of the Coalition’s election commitments are also yet to be announced.
 
Dr Wright said the imperative for more general practice funding should be recognised across the political spectrum.
 
‘Our public campaign will talk about the need for investment in Medicare to reduce out-of-pocket costs and increase bulk billing for patients who need it,’ he said.
 
‘This investment is key to boost general practice funding and strengthen the viability of general practices and boost the GP workforce across Australia.
 
‘As always, the RACGP continues to support practices to retain autonomy in setting their own billing policies.’
 
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