Australians are being charged more for a trip to the doctor, despite a tripling of bulk-billing incentive payments. or signup to continue reading An annual survey of more than 3000 GPs and GPs in training by the shows the average fee for a 20-minute consultation rose from $74.66 in 2023 to $78.
26 in 2024. The 2024 Health of the Nation report, released on Tuesday, also reveals the number of GPs charging more than $85 for a consultation lifted marginally from 41 per cent to 43 per cent. More alarmingly, the number of GPs slugging patients more than $90 on average for a consultation spiked from 23 per cent to 37 per cent.
On average, patients were $45 out of pocket after seeing a GP. In November incentives for doctors to bulk bill were tripled for children, pensioners and healthcare card holders. But the proportion of GPs fully bulk billing their patients remains low (13 per cent) compared to 2022 (24 per cent) as "GPs face significant challenges with the rising cost of providing care and financial viability concerns".
RACGP President Nicole Higgins said Medicare rebates had not kept up with inflation, causing out-of-pocket costs to increase. "The tripling of bulk-billing incentives for healthcare card holders, pensioners and children has helped GPs bulk bill more patients, but too many Australians are missing out," she said. "We need meaningful investment in patients' rebates to make essential healthcare affordable for all Australians.
" Almost a third (32 per cent) of GPs plan .