GP bulk billing rates fall sharply again
AMA President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, said today that Australian patients continue to pay more to see their doctor as GP bulk billing rates show a sharp decline for the third successive quarter.
In the March quarter 2002, the GP bulk billing rate dropped a further 0.7 per cent, following 0.9 per cent drops in the two previous quarters.
Dr Phelps said the March quarter figures are further evidence that Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) patient rebates are out of touch with reality. The MBS patient rebate for a standard GP consultation is $24.45.
"The high costs of maintaining general practice mean that GPs can no longer bulk bill all their patients," Dr Phelps said.
"Unless the Government acts to address the inadequacy of the MBS, it won't be long before bulk billing GPs in Australia are extinct.
"Australians are having to put more of their household budget into basic health care."
Dr Phelps said the Government had ignored Medicare and the MBS in the May Budget despite warnings that bulk billing was disappearing.
"Medicare is coming apart at the seams and the Government is doing nothing about it," Dr Phelps said.
"The Government must rethink its approach to the Relative Value Study (RVS) and raise MBS patient rebates to ensure that basic health care remains affordable and accessible for patients.
"If not, the poor and disadvantaged will be poorer and more disadvantaged," Dr Phelps said.
Calculated on an annual basis, the 0.7 per cent fall in the March quarter would translate to around 2.5 million fewer GP consultations being bulk billed.
CONTACT: John Flannery (02) 6270 5477 / (0419) 494 761
Sarah Crichton (02) 6270 5472 / (0419) 440 076