Medicare, bulk billing have had billions poured into them but Australian workers are paying more to see a doctor [Video]

Working Australians are paying more to see a GP than they were a year ago, hit with higher gap fees and fewer fully covered appointments even as the Albanese government pours record levels of funding into encouraging doctors to bulk bill.

Children and older Australians were better off in 2024 under the government’s $3.5 billion investment to boost bulk-billing rates. But adults aged 16 to 64 are paying more out of pocket, analysis of Medicare data shows, and a growing number of Australians have delayed seeing their doctor due to cost.

As Labor heads to the election pledging even bigger investments in bulk billing and urgent care, the Coalition will point to the fact doctor’s visits are more expensive and fewer GPs bulk bill than when Labor came into government in 2022 as it seeks to rebuff a renewed “Medi-scare” campaign.

Health Minister Mark Butler said on Thursday that …