Bulk billing on the decline with doctors' visits costing more according to new report

Bulk billing rates are dwindling across the country while out-of-pocket expenses continue to climb, according to a new independent report that contradicts official Government data.

The annual Blue Report from online healthcare directory Cleanbill – based on an annual phone survey of thousands of GP surgeries across the county – found the bulk billing rate for Australians not covered by the “bulk billing incentive” has slid from 35.7 per cent to 20.7 per cent.

Tasmania was the hardest hit with the decrease, with the report finding no clinics in the state offered bulk-billing services for new adult patients not on a concession card. They found rates had fallen 10 per cent in the NT over the last year to 9.5 per cent, while NSW had also suffered a decline but retained the highest rate in the country with 34.5 per cent.

Cleanbill found the national average out of pocket cost had increased four per cent to $43.88. In Tasmania, adults are spending over $54 on average for a doctor’s visit.

The data was collected by contacting more than 6000 clinics across the country, enquiring about the cost of a standard consultation for a new adult without any concessions.

The Albanese Government – who reject the report as incorrect and the methodology as deliberately misleading – in November 2023 tripled the bulk-billing incentive for concession card holders and children under 16.

Official data out late last year found 77.2 per cent of all GP visits were fully covered by Medicare in October – up 1.6 per cent from a year prior.

The Commonwealth collects data on every single visit to the GP, and official figures are based on the proportion of all bulk-billed services rather than the proportion of providers bulk-billing all of their services.

Cleanbill chief executive James Gillespie said in stripping out the incentive cohort, their survey showcased the reality of unaffordable care for the rest of the population.

“The trends this report outlines paint a concerning picture for healthcare accessibility in Australia,” he said.

The Coalition’s health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said the report’s findings “confirm what we already now – under Labor, bulk billing is going backwards as out-of-pocket costs are going up”.

“It has literally never been harder or more expensive to see a doctor than under the Albanese Labor Government,” she said.

“Hardworking Australians are having to fork out the highest amount of costs on record to see their doctor, adding further stress to household budgets in the middle of this cost-of-living crisis.”

But Health Minister Mark Butler pointed to official Government data, which he said shows Labor’s “record investment to strengthen Medicare has stopped the free fall in bulk-billing created under the LNP Government”.

“The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) called the Government’s investment in Medicare a ‘game changer’,” Mr Butler said.

“In a survey of thousands of doctors by the RACGP, more doctors now say they are bulk billing more patients, more often.

“Every state and territory now has more bulk billing, with the largest rise in some states which have historically struggled with lower rates of bulk billing.”

He added official data showed the number of Australians visiting their GP has also increased in the past 12 months, with overall visits up 1.2 per cent.

Healthcare is set to be a major election battleground, with Mr Butler leading the door open for more health-focused announcements in the coming months.

“We know there’s more to do to keep strengthening Medicare after a decade of cuts and neglect from the Liberals, and we are committed to doing it,” he said.

Senator Ruston said the Coalition has already pledged to invest $400m to train more GPs – and plans to make more announcements in the coming months.