The GP non-referred attendance bulk billing rate is going both up and down. Here’s how.
Federal Minister for Health Mark Butler took to the airwaves and TV screens this morning to spruik the latest Medicare bulk billing data, which he claims to show a halt in the slide of bulk billing services.
On a closer look, the situation is more nuanced.
This week marked the release of the latest Medicare year-to-date statistics, which includes data from July through December 2024, which is two financial quarters.
It pegged the GP non-referred attendance bulk billing rate for that period at 77.5%; this is the figure that Mr Butler appears to be referring to in media appearances.
But looking at the data for individual financial quarters, the July-to-September bulk billing rate was 77.6% before a slight fall to 77.4% in the September-to-December period.
Both quarters had a lower bulk billing rate than Q2 2024, which was 78.8%.
Despite the short-term decline, the longer-term picture looks healthier.
The 2023 December quarter bulk billing rate – the tripled incentive kicked in halfway through this time – was 76.5%.
The overall rise over the first year of the tripled incentive, then, was 0.9%.
In short: there was an overall rise, but not a steady one.
“Our record investment in bulk billing in the 2023 Budget not only has stopped the slide in bulk billing services but has seen a rise in every single state and territory and to the end of last year delivered an additional six million free visits to the doctor which has been an extraordinary relief to all of those Australians,” Mr Butler said.
“On top of the 1.1 million patients who’ve gone through our urgent care clinics, again, fully bulk billed.
“We know there’s more to do in bulk billing.”
Labor have not yet released a formal suite of promises on healthcare ahead of the federal election.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Butler would not be drawn on any plans to strengthen Medicare, other than that he will “have more to say about that between now and the election”.
Related
Later, during an appearance on the ABC, he said he wanted to “do more on bulk billing” and hinted again that Labor would be coming out with a “strong Medicare policy”.
“If you freeze the income of doctors while their costs continue to rise, it’s no surprise that bulk billing starts to slide away,” Mr Butler said.
“That was the intent that Peter Dutton had.
“He tried to abolish bulk billing altogether and when he couldn’t do that; instead he froze the income of doctors.”
The Medicare freeze was first introduced as a temporary measure by Labor in 2013 and was continued by the Coalition upon election to office in 2014.
“Now, we put the biggest injection of funds in Australia’s history into bulk billing,” Mr Butler continued.
“That stopped the slide.
“It’s led to a rise that delivered millions of additional free visits to the doctor. That has made a meaningful difference.
“But we know there’s more to do, and I’m committed to doing more.”
