Fair go for GPs

It should come as no surprise that bulk-billing rates in general practice have been in free-fall.


GPs have been sounding the alarm for years about the challenge of providing good primary care while keeping the lights on, but it’s been like background noise during the pandemic.

Now we have (another) attempt by government to sort the mess – optimistically called ‘strengthening’ Medicare – when perhaps ‘SOS’ might have been closer to the mark.

The newly-formed lobby group Primary Care Business Council, with seven member corporates, says bulk-billing rates for standard consultations have fallen from 74% in 2019 to 61%, and that’s set to continue heading south.

The RACGP recently offered some GPs 40 CPD points to “critically review” whether they should be bulk-billing patients and its outgoing president Professor Karen Price has actively urged colleagues to private bill wherever possible.

GPs earn a lot less than other medical specialists, yet their expected range of care for patients seems to be pushed wider by the day.


While the finger of blame has many targets, the flatlining of Medicare rebates is an obvious one. In the last MBS increase in July this year, the patient rebate for a standard level B consultation went up a meagre 65 cents – from $39.10 to $39.75.

GPs earn a lot less than other medical specialists, yet their expected range of care for patients seems to be pushed wider by the day.

This month Medical Forum gives the floor to some key players in primary care, with some offering candid insights and home-truths about what needs to be done.

There is no quick fix here, but many argue it’s now or never.