It seems like grocery and petrol prices aren’t the only ones soaring. GP fees are the latest to hop onto the trend as patients across the country share horror stories of anxiety-inducing gap payments.

Australia’s bulk-billing system leaves thousands of patients struggling as the cost of running a general practice shoots up and with it, fees.

The crisis has prompted the head of the country’s largest organisation of GPs to warn that some patients may be forced to delay treatment, potentially worsening their condition as bulk-billing rates become unaffordable.

Several general practitioners have decided to close their doors as the current funding model nears collapse, while others were left with no choice but to pass on the fees to their patients.

What does this mean for affordable medical care in the country? Source: Yahoo! News​

As the situation continues to spiral, hundreds of Aussies have been vocal about their fears on social media platforms, sharing nightmare-ish stories about their bills after booking a consultation.

One Reddit user detailed his experience last week, claiming that he was charged a staggering $80 for a 43-second-long telehealth consultation with his GP. The user added that they needed a repeat of their usual script, but was taken aback upon finding out how much the brief phone call cost them.

While they are expecting a partial amount of the bill to be covered, their calculations have shown that the gap would still be significant.

‘I love the convenience of it, but f*** – that’s expensive,’ they said.

Even though telehealth appointments have become undeniably beneficial to Australians during the lockdown, many are questioning why the fees for the service are borderline ridiculous.

Another patient from Sydney, Chelsea, said she was shocked to discover that her general practitioner was charging her an additional $50 for the service.

‘I asked what the fee covered and she said explained that it was for new patients… But she couldn’t tell me any more about it.’ Chelsea said.

‘And that fee was on top of the $80 that the actual phone call cost me. It makes me want to hold off from seeking medical help so that I can save money.’

People are struggling to afford basic health care. Source: Sydney Morning Herald​

Others divulged that even though they will receive a rebate for the consultation, they can’t afford the large upfront fee.

‘My daughter had a bad chesty cough. I couldn’t go in to see the GP in person because of respiratory symptoms. It cost $90 for a three-minute phone call, ouch!’ one Twitter user shared.

‘I really need to go to the GP but there are none near me that bulk bill. I don’t have the money to be able to pay the $98.’ another wrote.

‘I never thought going to the doctor would be so hard in Australia.’

It followed after the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) warned that general practice care urgently requires better funding to improve accessibility. New data from hundreds of Australia’s largest medical centres has revealed that the percentage of consults that were bulk billed has dropped to an average of 61 per cent – a 12 per cent difference from two years ago.

RACGP President, Dr Karen Price argued that the findings were further evidence that general practice care needed greater support.

‘Unless greater investment is made in general practice care, more and more practices will have little choice but to pass the cost on to patients,’ she said.

‘This can result in patients delaying or avoiding consultations with their GP and having a health condition worsen to the extent that they end up in a hospital bed.’

Primary Care Business Council Director Jeremy Stones added that the situation is set to go downhill.

‘The costs of running the general practice–nursing, admin, insurances, and rent–has just rapidly escalated far beyond headline inflation and far beyond government funding.’

‘We’re now starting to see practices saying “When leases are up, let’s close the doors”.’

What are your thoughts on the bulk-billing crisis? Have you had any similar experiences with a recent consultation? Feel free to share them with us in the comments!

Learn more about the issue by watching the video below:

Source: 9 News Australia​

 

[Ricci]

Until recently my doctor bulk billed for all pensioners. This has now changed and any new patients won't get the opportunity of being bulk billed. I thank goodness that I have been a patient for several years so am still bulk billed but I moved away recently and haven't changed my GP as I'd rather travel and stay with the same doctor as no local ones bulk bill.

 

[Kayer02]

My doctor has always been popular and for a couple of years now we have had to wait anything from 3-4 weeks for an appointment. I have often joked with my husband that I will have to plan to be sick on such a such date so I can pre book an appointment. On top of that I get charged $140 per visit. They are not a bulk billing surgery. We are not rich & this is why I have stopped going to her or any doctor as much.( a lot of Doctors are also no longer taking new patients .) I now tend to only go for prescription renewals.

 

[Liz]

I am blessed to have a bulk billing doctor but others in the practice don't. I think it is so sad that hard working GP's are not getting their fair share back in remuneration. I think there are too few GP's and the ones we have are overworked. I think more medical students need to spend time with GP's in their practices and maybe choose to go into this field rather than the high flying specialists who charge squillions. After all the GP is the basis for most referalls to specialists.

 

[Nana Zorak]

My doctor recently started to charge for consultations & telephone consultations. So far I have been charged for 3 consultations & have received nothing back from Medicare. They don't have my bank details so they say, yet they are linked on the My Gov site. I only go to my doctor on the first pension day in a month so I know I have money in the bank. When I do get reimbursed from Medicare I will feel rich

 

[Gil]

I am at a loss as to why the GP's are screaming out.
The very same things have been occurring in the medical profession during my whole life of over 70 years.
GP's have maintained that they are on the losing side, no matter what the consultation prices were.
Even with the inception of Medicare, they still complain, and say that Medicare only benefits the patient.
I am simply a middle class person living in middle class areas, however, I have NEVER run across a GP living in the same areas as me. They seem to all live in the upper class areas. Therein lies part of the problem. They require higher incomes to maintain their living styles. The percentages may drop on their outlays, but the real dollar values still go up accordingly. I noticed in one TV interview with someone from the RACGP that they mentioned this "percentage drop" of between 5% and 10%.
I calculated this:
PREVIOUSLY a visit cost me $59.00, so if the GP was receiving a fair return of 40%, it would mean $23.60 to them.
NOW a visit costs me $90.00, so if the increase is 52.5% and their return has dropped to 35% they get $31.50, or if their return drops dramatically to 30%, they get $27.00.
Either way, they are still in front in real dollar value.
If the charges are for a 15 minute consultation and the GP works an 8 hour day, this means 32 consults, then the GP receives $2880.00 per day. With a "percentage return" of 30%, this means $864.00 profit per day. Not too bad eh? Even if it came down to $800 per day, that is still in excess of $200k per year.

 

[Shane O'Neill]

It seems like grocery and petrol prices aren’t the only ones soaring. GP fees are the latest to hop onto the trend as patients across the country share horror stories of anxiety-inducing gap payments.

Australia’s bulk-billing system leaves thousands of patients struggling as the cost of running a general practice shoots up and with it, fees.

The crisis has prompted the head of the country’s largest organisation of GPs to warn that some patients may be forced to delay treatment, potentially worsening their condition as bulk-billing rates become unaffordable.

Several general practitioners have decided to close their doors as the current funding model nears collapse, while others were left with no choice but to pass on the fees to their patients.

What does this mean for affordable medical care in the country? Source: Yahoo! News​

As the situation continues to spiral, hundreds of Aussies have been vocal about their fears on social media platforms, sharing nightmare-ish stories about their bills after booking a consultation.

One Reddit user detailed his experience last week, claiming that he was charged a staggering $80 for a 43-second-long telehealth consultation with his GP. The user added that they needed a repeat of their usual script, but was taken aback upon finding out how much the brief phone call cost them.

While they are expecting a partial amount of the bill to be covered, their calculations have shown that the gap would still be significant.

‘I love the convenience of it, but f*** – that’s expensive,’ they said.

Even though telehealth appointments have become undeniably beneficial to Australians during the lockdown, many are questioning why the fees for the service are borderline ridiculous.

Another patient from Sydney, Chelsea, said she was shocked to discover that her general practitioner was charging her an additional $50 for the service.

‘I asked what the fee covered and she said explained that it was for new patients… But she couldn’t tell me any more about it.’ Chelsea said.

‘And that fee was on top of the $80 that the actual phone call cost me. It makes me want to hold off from seeking medical help so that I can save money.’

People are struggling to afford basic health care. Source: Sydney Morning Herald​

Others divulged that even though they will receive a rebate for the consultation, they can’t afford the large upfront fee.

‘My daughter had a bad chesty cough. I couldn’t go in to see the GP in person because of respiratory symptoms. It cost $90 for a three-minute phone call, ouch!’ one Twitter user shared.

‘I really need to go to the GP but there are none near me that bulk bill. I don’t have the money to be able to pay the $98.’ another wrote.

‘I never thought going to the doctor would be so hard in Australia.’

It followed after the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) warned that general practice care urgently requires better funding to improve accessibility. New data from hundreds of Australia’s largest medical centres has revealed that the percentage of consults that were bulk billed has dropped to an average of 61 per cent – a 12 per cent difference from two years ago.

RACGP President, Dr Karen Price argued that the findings were further evidence that general practice care needed greater support.

‘Unless greater investment is made in general practice care, more and more practices will have little choice but to pass the cost on to patients,’ she said.

‘This can result in patients delaying or avoiding consultations with their GP and having a health condition worsen to the extent that they end up in a hospital bed.’

Primary Care Business Council Director Jeremy Stones added that the situation is set to go downhill.

‘The costs of running the general practice–nursing, admin, insurances, and rent–has just rapidly escalated far beyond headline inflation and far beyond government funding.’

‘We’re now starting to see practices saying “When leases are up, let’s close the doors”.’

What are your thoughts on the bulk-billing crisis? Have you had any similar experiences with a recent consultation? Feel free to share them with us in the comments!

Learn more about the issue by watching the video below:

Source: 9 News Australia​

Yep before the pandemic go to the doctors for a script sit there for 15 to 30 minutes at around 12pm get script and sign (bulk billed) pandemic phone call was nothing they bulk-billed as the pandemic eased rang for a script told that's $60 now and them pay for the script blatant rip off so payed a vist to the doctor and $80 less in the pocket his excuse doctors haven't had a pay rise for year's he doesn't own the clinic l said he was a number's man don't hit a quota and you won't be working there wasn't impressed and I believe it's gone up again bloody ripped off for 5 minute visit

 

[Senor]

Perhaps there is some misunderstanding about how much bulk billing GPs earn.
1. A GPs clinic only gets approximately $37.50 per patient. The clinic does not give this amount to the GP. GPs get 50-60% of that since the clinic has to pay for rent of the place, receptionist etc.
2. A bulk billing GP only sees a patient for 5-10 minutes otherwise they don't make much money. You get what you paid or didn't pay for.
3. A GP has to pay for their own super.
4. A GP has to pay for annual registration.
5. A GP has to re-accredit with the board every 3 years (I think). The exam cost a lot of money which is not paid for by the employer.
6. A GP has to get personal indemnity cover which can cost upto $20,000 per annum.
7. A non-bulk billing GP sees a patient for around 25 - 30 minutes. And sometimes it is for longer.
8. GPs deal with patient test results often after hours. They are chasing this up if it is urgent. This is in their own time and they don't get paid for it. Probably not all GPs do this.
9. Non bulk billing GPs use their personal contacts with specialists to get a patient in early if it is urgent. They ask for that sort of a favour on a patients behalf if necessary.
10. GPs manage their patients care by recommending them to specialists, getting results from specialists and managing ongoing patient care.
11. GPs are the very pinnacle of "smart". If I was that smart, would I want to work for $100K per annum.
12. A lot of GPs are leaving the profession because they can support their families better by working somewhere else without the hassles.
13. I know a GP who has 2-kids. She and her husband live in a 3-bedroom house in an average suburb. It is not a big house by any stretch of imagination.
14. I live in an average suburb and I don't see any tradies living in my suburb. But that does not mean all tradies are rich.
15. People are very happy to call a plumber/electrician in to do something. They charge $100 callout fees plus if it takes them more that 10 minutes they charge more. Yet nobody complains much about that. Everyone is OK with paying that. From what I am being told, a lot of tradies working for themselves are earning over $200K. Don't look at apprentices. Where is the complaint about them? They may earn cr@p money. And if a tradie charges me $200, I don't get any Government rebait.
16. I think people in Australia are confused about their health and what one must do to maintain it. I would rather see my GP than spend money going to a pub or go on a holiday.
17. By the way, GP is a specialisation these days and has been for a while.
18. A GP spends 6-years studying and then they do 2 years of internship where they are worked like slaves and paid a low wage. In a hospital a nurse has 4-patients to look after, but a doctor in the hospital has 50 or more patients to look after. And don't forget doctors have to make the decision about patient not nurses. They call the doctor. So doctor is always under pressure and running around.

For your information I am not a GP but I know a couple of them. One has left medical profession and joined medical research. She earns more money and can look after family from financial perspective better.

My friend who works in a non-bulk billing practice was telling me that a patient came in recently and asked to be bulk billed s she was going on holidays in a months time and didn't have money to pay for the consult. There are other examples but this post is getting too long.

Consider this. If you were the smartest person in your class would you settle for an income less than a lot of other professions are paid. You might as well become a tradie and have better lifestyle.

I know lots of people and I mean lots of people are going to jump in with complaints about what I have written. So be it. I personally would NEVER recommend anybody become a GP if they want to earn very good money. Become a tradie. Nobody will complain about you and you can charge for every bl00dy minute you are at a clients place.

 

[Ricci]

Perhaps there is some misunderstanding about how much bulk billing GPs earn.
1. A GPs clinic only gets approximately $37.50 per patient. The clinic does not give this amount to the GP. GPs get 50-60% of that since the clinic has to pay for rent of the place, receptionist etc.
2. A bulk billing GP only sees a patient for 5-10 minutes otherwise they don't make much money. You get what you paid or didn't pay for.
3. A GP has to pay for their own super.
4. A GP has to pay for annual registration.
5. A GP has to re-accredit with the board every 3 years (I think). The exam cost a lot of money which is not paid for by the employer.
6. A GP has to get personal indemnity cover which can cost upto $20,000 per annum.
7. A non-bulk billing GP sees a patient for around 25 - 30 minutes. And sometimes it is for longer.
8. GPs deal with patient test results often after hours. They are chasing this up if it is urgent. This is in their own time and they don't get paid for it. Probably not all GPs do this.
9. Non bulk billing GPs use their personal contacts with specialists to get a patient in early if it is urgent. They ask for that sort of a favour on a patients behalf if necessary.
10. GPs manage their patients care by recommending them to specialists, getting results from specialists and managing ongoing patient care.
11. GPs are the very pinnacle of "smart". If I was that smart, would I want to work for $100K per annum.
12. A lot of GPs are leaving the profession because they can support their families better by working somewhere else without the hassles.
13. I know a GP who has 2-kids. She and her husband live in a 3-bedroom house in an average suburb. It is not a big house by any stretch of imagination.
14. I live in an average suburb and I don't see any tradies living in my suburb. But that does not mean all tradies are rich.
15. People are very happy to call a plumber/electrician in to do something. They charge $100 callout fees plus if it takes them more that 10 minutes they charge more. Yet nobody complains much about that. Everyone is OK with paying that. From what I am being told, a lot of tradies working for themselves are earning over $200K. Don't look at apprentices. Where is the complaint about them? They may earn cr@p money. And if a tradie charges me $200, I don't get any Government rebait.
16. I think people in Australia are confused about their health and what one must do to maintain it. I would rather see my GP than spend money going to a pub or go on a holiday.
17. By the way, GP is a specialisation these days and has been for a while.
18. A GP spends 6-years studying and then they do 2 years of internship where they are worked like slaves and paid a low wage. In a hospital a nurse has 4-patients to look after, but a doctor in the hospital has 50 or more patients to look after. And don't forget doctors have to make the decision about patient not nurses. They call the doctor. So doctor is always under pressure and running around.

For your information I am not a GP but I know a couple of them. One has left medical profession and joined medical research. She earns more money and can look after family from financial perspective better.

My friend who works in a non-bulk billing practice was telling me that a patient came in recently and asked to be bulk billed s she was going on holidays in a months time and didn't have money to pay for the consult. There are other examples but this post is getting too long.

Consider this. If you were the smartest person in your class would you settle for an income less than a lot of other professions are paid. You might as well become a tradie and have better lifestyle.

I know lots of people and I mean lots of people are going to jump in with complaints about what I have written. So be it. I personally would NEVER recommend anybody become a GP if they want to earn very good money. Become a tradie. Nobody will complain about you and you can charge for every bl00dy minute you are at a clients place.

Well said

 

[Nomad48au]

Perhaps there is some misunderstanding about how much bulk billing GPs earn.
1. A GPs clinic only gets approximately $37.50 per patient. The clinic does not give this amount to the GP. GPs get 50-60% of that since the clinic has to pay for rent of the place, receptionist etc.
2. A bulk billing GP only sees a patient for 5-10 minutes otherwise they don't make much money. You get what you paid or didn't pay for.
3. A GP has to pay for their own super.
4. A GP has to pay for annual registration.
5. A GP has to re-accredit with the board every 3 years (I think). The exam cost a lot of money which is not paid for by the employer.
6. A GP has to get personal indemnity cover which can cost upto $20,000 per annum.
7. A non-bulk billing GP sees a patient for around 25 - 30 minutes. And sometimes it is for longer.
8. GPs deal with patient test results often after hours. They are chasing this up if it is urgent. This is in their own time and they don't get paid for it. Probably not all GPs do this.
9. Non bulk billing GPs use their personal contacts with specialists to get a patient in early if it is urgent. They ask for that sort of a favour on a patients behalf if necessary.
10. GPs manage their patients care by recommending them to specialists, getting results from specialists and managing ongoing patient care.
11. GPs are the very pinnacle of "smart". If I was that smart, would I want to work for $100K per annum.
12. A lot of GPs are leaving the profession because they can support their families better by working somewhere else without the hassles.
13. I know a GP who has 2-kids. She and her husband live in a 3-bedroom house in an average suburb. It is not a big house by any stretch of imagination.
14. I live in an average suburb and I don't see any tradies living in my suburb. But that does not mean all tradies are rich.
15. People are very happy to call a plumber/electrician in to do something. They charge $100 callout fees plus if it takes them more that 10 minutes they charge more. Yet nobody complains much about that. Everyone is OK with paying that. From what I am being told, a lot of tradies working for themselves are earning over $200K. Don't look at apprentices. Where is the complaint about them? They may earn cr@p money. And if a tradie charges me $200, I don't get any Government rebait.
16. I think people in Australia are confused about their health and what one must do to maintain it. I would rather see my GP than spend money going to a pub or go on a holiday.
17. By the way, GP is a specialisation these days and has been for a while.
18. A GP spends 6-years studying and then they do 2 years of internship where they are worked like slaves and paid a low wage. In a hospital a nurse has 4-patients to look after, but a doctor in the hospital has 50 or more patients to look after. And don't forget doctors have to make the decision about patient not nurses. They call the doctor. So doctor is always under pressure and running around.

For your information I am not a GP but I know a couple of them. One has left medical profession and joined medical research. She earns more money and can look after family from financial perspective better.

My friend who works in a non-bulk billing practice was telling me that a patient came in recently and asked to be bulk billed s she was going on holidays in a months time and didn't have money to pay for the consult. There are other examples but this post is getting too long.

Consider this. If you were the smartest person in your class would you settle for an income less than a lot of other professions are paid. You might as well become a tradie and have better lifestyle.

I know lots of people and I mean lots of people are going to jump in with complaints about what I have written. So be it. I personally would NEVER recommend anybody become a GP if they want to earn very good money. Become a tradie. Nobody will complain about you and you can charge for every bl00dy minute you are at a clients place.

Exactly! General Practice is a specialty in itself. Diagnostic skills to cover the whole body, not increasingly narrow specialisations that specialists do. Their ability to discern the different possible causations of pains in certain places, etc. Plus the increasing complexity and expense of medical equipment they need or are expected to use all add to the overheads. It is the failure of governments on both sides to keep Medicare rates up with inflation (and their own inflated salaries - but that's another topic!) that has ended with us in this predicament. We can apparently afford multi-billion dollar submarines, but not the health of our own population. Like teachers (another topic for another time!), GPs are grossly under-rated and underpaid!!! And no, I am neither a GP nor a teacher, but know many who are.

 

[Senor]

Exactly! General Practice is a specialty in itself. Diagnostic skills to cover the whole body, not increasingly narrow specialisations that specialists do. Their ability to discern the different possible causations of pains in certain places, etc. Plus the increasing complexity and expense of medical equipment they need or are expected to use all add to the overheads. It is the failure of governments on both sides to keep Medicare rates up with inflation (and their own inflated salaries - but that's another topic!) that has ended with us in this predicament. We can apparently afford multi-billion dollar submarines, but not the health of our own population. Like teachers (another topic for another time!), GPs are grossly under-rated and underpaid!!! And no, I am neither a GP nor a teacher, but know many who are.

Hi Nomad48au, Thanks for stating it very well. In my experience, when I found a good GP, I stuck to him. I have been visiting his practice for the past 22 years. He charges $100 per visit and I am OK with paying that as my health is extremely important to me. Without my health I have very little. I do appreciate that if you are visiting a GP every month it can get expensive.
Please do understand what your GPs do and the level of expertise they bring to the table.
Have a great day everyone and be healthy.

 

[Liz]

Perhaps there is some misunderstanding about how much bulk billing GPs earn.
1. A GPs clinic only gets approximately $37.50 per patient. The clinic does not give this amount to the GP. GPs get 50-60% of that since the clinic has to pay for rent of the place, receptionist etc.
2. A bulk billing GP only sees a patient for 5-10 minutes otherwise they don't make much money. You get what you paid or didn't pay for.
3. A GP has to pay for their own super.
4. A GP has to pay for annual registration.
5. A GP has to re-accredit with the board every 3 years (I think). The exam cost a lot of money which is not paid for by the employer.
6. A GP has to get personal indemnity cover which can cost upto $20,000 per annum.
7. A non-bulk billing GP sees a patient for around 25 - 30 minutes. And sometimes it is for longer.
8. GPs deal with patient test results often after hours. They are chasing this up if it is urgent. This is in their own time and they don't get paid for it. Probably not all GPs do this.
9. Non bulk billing GPs use their personal contacts with specialists to get a patient in early if it is urgent. They ask for that sort of a favour on a patients behalf if necessary.
10. GPs manage their patients care by recommending them to specialists, getting results from specialists and managing ongoing patient care.
11. GPs are the very pinnacle of "smart". If I was that smart, would I want to work for $100K per annum.
12. A lot of GPs are leaving the profession because they can support their families better by working somewhere else without the hassles.
13. I know a GP who has 2-kids. She and her husband live in a 3-bedroom house in an average suburb. It is not a big house by any stretch of imagination.
14. I live in an average suburb and I don't see any tradies living in my suburb. But that does not mean all tradies are rich.
15. People are very happy to call a plumber/electrician in to do something. They charge $100 callout fees plus if it takes them more that 10 minutes they charge more. Yet nobody complains much about that. Everyone is OK with paying that. From what I am being told, a lot of tradies working for themselves are earning over $200K. Don't look at apprentices. Where is the complaint about them? They may earn cr@p money. And if a tradie charges me $200, I don't get any Government rebait.
16. I think people in Australia are confused about their health and what one must do to maintain it. I would rather see my GP than spend money going to a pub or go on a holiday.
17. By the way, GP is a specialisation these days and has been for a while.
18. A GP spends 6-years studying and then they do 2 years of internship where they are worked like slaves and paid a low wage. In a hospital a nurse has 4-patients to look after, but a doctor in the hospital has 50 or more patients to look after. And don't forget doctors have to make the decision about patient not nurses. They call the doctor. So doctor is always under pressure and running around.

For your information I am not a GP but I know a couple of them. One has left medical profession and joined medical research. She earns more money and can look after family from financial perspective better.

My friend who works in a non-bulk billing practice was telling me that a patient came in recently and asked to be bulk billed s she was going on holidays in a months time and didn't have money to pay for the consult. There are other examples but this post is getting too long.

Consider this. If you were the smartest person in your class would you settle for an income less than a lot of other professions are paid. You might as well become a tradie and have better lifestyle.

I know lots of people and I mean lots of people are going to jump in with complaints about what I have written. So be it. I personally would NEVER recommend anybody become a GP if they want to earn very good money. Become a tradie. Nobody will complain about you and you can charge for every bl00dy minute you are at a clients place.

 

[Liz]

Very well put, I am sticking to my GP like glue until she has had enough or leaves.