Eighty-eight GP clinics in Western Australia have moved from being a mixed billing practice to fully bulk billing since federal government’s incentives began in November.
The Department of Health Disability and Ageing released figures showing the number of fully bulk billing clinics in each state prior to Bulk Billing Incentive Program incentives beginning and up to January 31, 2026.
The data showed that 1269 previously mixed billing practices across Australia were now registered as Medicare Bulk Billing Practices – a 16% increase on data released in December.
Previous data released during Senate Estimates in December showed 1092 previously mixed billing practices had signed up to the incentive program in the first month..
Health Minister Mark Butler had sold the incentive program as something that would result in 90% of all GP clinics offering bulk billing by 2030.
Prior to the incentive program just over 77% of GP clinics across the country were fully bulk billing. In the past three months, this rose by 4.3% to 81.4%.
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Practices participating in the program receive an additional 12.5% incentive payment on every $1 of MBS benefit earned from eligible services, split between the GP and the practice.
Every eligible service for every patient in participating practices must be bulk billed in order for the incentive payment to be paid, which is in addition to MBS benefits.
As the incentive came into place so too did expanded eligibility for incentives, allowing doctors to receive increased bulk billing incentive payments for all Medicare-eligible patients, not just children and those with a concession card.
Minister Butler said his department’s figures showed the incentive program was delivering on the promise to offer more bulk billed appointments.
“More Australians are finding it easier to find a bulk billing doctor in every state and territory,” he said.
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The data is not broken down beyond state and territory level, however Rural Health West deputy chief executive Kelli Porter recently told Medical Forum there had been “very limited” reports of rural practices moving to universal bulk billing, with most continuing to operate mixed or private billing models.
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