The Federal Government has pledged $8.5B to deliver an additional 18 million bulk-billed GP visits each year if re-elected.
Assistant Health Minister and Member for Dobell Emma McBride said Australian patients and families would save hundreds of dollars a year in out-of-pocket costs, with patient savings of $859M a year by 2030.
In November 2023, the Government tripled the bulk billing incentive for seniors, concession card holders and children under 16.
This has seen the bulk billing rate stabilise and begin to rise with 72.3% of all GP visits on the Central Coast fully bulk billed.
Labor is set to expand bulk billing incentives to all Australians and create an additional new incentive payment for practices that bulk bill every patient.
“Labor built Medicare, and we’ll always protect and strengthen it,” McBride said.
“Our historic investment to triple the bulk billing incentive for every Australian means more people will be able to visit the GP for free.
“As a healthcare worker and Assistant Health Minister, I know the significant benefit this will have for people in our community.
“Since being elected our government has been focused on strengthening Medicare with new Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, Medicare Mental Health Centres, cheaper medicines, and more bulk billing.”
Member for Robertson Dr Gordon Reid said a Labor Government would always protect and strengthen Medicare.
“We want every Australian to know they only need their Medicare card, not their credit card, to receive the healthcare they need,” he said.
“At this election Australia faces a choice: a stronger Medicare with more bulk billing for all Australians under Labor, or more cuts to Medicare under Peter Dutton’s Liberals.”
A retiree couple on the Central Coast with typical GP service usage may save around $174 to $292 a year in out-of-pocket costs, if their practice moves to a fully bulk billed model.
An older family, with two parents in their 50s and two young adult children in their late teens or early 20s, may save around $264 to $389 a year.
A younger family, with two parents in their 30s and two children under five years old, may save around $215 to $336 a year.
The new measures would come into effect on November 1 and would see nine out of 10 GP visits bulk billed by 2030.
Approximately 50 practices in the electorates of Robertson and Dobell will be in a better financial position if they adopt full bulk billing.
Labor says recent bulk billing figures cited by Liberal candidate for Robertson Lucy Wicks are based on figures counting COVID vaccination GP visits in the years 21/22.
“This distorts the data significantly as nearly 100% of COVID vaccine visits were subsidised by the Commonwealth,” Labor said.
“Excluding COVID, bulk billing was in significant decline due to the incentive being frozen for six years for the former government.”
In the electorate of Dobell, the GP NRA bulk billing rate was 75.7% in the December quarter of 2024, up 3.3 percentage points from 72.4% in the December quarter of 2023.
In the electorate of Robertson, the GP NRA bulk billing rate was 75.2% in the December quarter of 2024, up 0.9 percentage points from 74.3% in the December quarter of 2023.