Medicare rebate hike isn’t bridging gap

MEDICARE rebates for a GP visit have increased for the first time in four years but the 55¢ rise goes nowhere near covering the $38 gap fees now paid by one in three patients.

An investigation by News Corp has found the rebate freeze, which was designed to save the Government $2.8 billion over six years, may have backfired with doctors making up lost income by seeing patients more often.

Australians are now seeing their GP on average 6.1 times a year — up from 5.8 times per year before the freeze began.

The amount the Govern- ment spends per person on Medicare rebates has risen by $34 from $274.07 per year in 2013-14 to $308.39 per year in 2016-17, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows.

Health Department data shows around one in three pa- tients are not bulk-billed and they are now paying an average $38 in gap fees to see a GP after receiving their Medicare rebate, up $6.13 since 2014.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners president Dr Bastian Seidel said general practice was already underfunded before the rebate freeze and the situation had worsened.

His organisation has asked a government review of Medicare to double rebates for GPs so they are paid the same rebate as specialists. He claims better GP care will save the health system money by keeping people out of hospital.

“We are specialists, we do the same years of training as specialists,” he said.

A spokesman for Health Minister Greg Hunt said the latest Medicare data also shows almost nine out of every 10 trips to the doctor is free, with a record bulk-billing rate of 85.8 per cent.

“This is the highest GP bulk-billing rate on record for the July to March period and it is nearly 4 per cent higher than Labor’s 81.9 per cent, which they achieved when they were last in government,” he said.

“The minister is focused on delivering more funding to Australia’s world-class GPs. The minister has asked the MBS Taskforce to consider these options and provide advice to the Government.”