No bulk billing GPs found in 10% of federal electorates for standard consultations, survey says Cleanbill report also reveals four out of five GPs will charge a gap fee for new adult patients without concessions.
“This likely explains why the government can point to a well-documented increase in bulk billing rates overall, while at the same time Cleanbill finds that it has become increasingly difficult for an adult who does not have a concession card to find a GP practice that will bulk bill them.
“After we tripled the bulk billing incentive for GPs, bulk billing has started rising again in every state and territory – delivering an additional 5.8m free visits to the GP in just 13 months,” Butler said.
Those 15 electorates were Bass (Tasmania), Boothby (South Australia), Braddon (Tasmania), Brisbane (Queensland), Clark (Tasmania), Fairfax (Queensland), Franklin (Tasmania), Jagajaga (Victoria), Kingston (SA), Lyne (New South Wales), Lyons (Tasmania), Mayo (SA), Newcastle (NSW), Shortland (NSW) and Swan (Western Australia).
When it comes to what is happening across the 151 commonwealth electoral divisions, Cleanbill was unable to find any available bulk billing clinics for adult patients in 15 electorates, compared to four in its first report in 2023.
