The GP bulk billing rate has risen by 2.1 percentage points in the first two months since the Australian Government tripled the bulk billing incentive but critics say that is not enough and the Health Minister is under fire for expecting rural Australians to "ring-around" to find a GP.  

The increase comes off the back of the Government’s $6.1 billion Strengthening Medicare reforms and is the largest investment in bulk billing in Medicare’s 40-year history.  This increase in the bulk billing rate means Australians had an estimated 360,000 additional trips to the GP bulk billed since the tripled incentive began on 1 November.  

However, Federal Nationals Member for Riverina Michael McCormack has expressed serious concerns for the health welfare of regional, rural, and remote Australians after the Minister for Health said people should just "ring around" to find a bulk-billing GP in their area. 

Minister Mark Butler said, "We want patients to know, if one practice in their area has changed their behaviour around bulk billing and another hasn't, it's entirely your right to vote with your feet." 

Mark Butler. Image: Australian Parliament. 

"People can ring around and ask: 'Are you bulk billing a consult for my kid who's 14? Are you bulk billing me, I'm a concession card holder?'" he continued.

"This is cold comfort for those...who may only have access to one GP or have to travel many kilometres to even see a doctor, let alone have the luxury of choice. The Minister's focus is too city centric," Mr McCormack said. 

"This Government won the election on the back of promising to adhere to two principles - 'no one left behind' and 'no one held back.' Now we have a Labor Government which has shown it can't be trusted on its word and can't be trusted to deliver for regional and rural communities. 

In a statement, the Government said it was "Rural and regional Australians have benefited the most with an estimated additional 202,000 free visits to the GP in just two months".  

While the National Rural Health Alliance would not be drawn on Minister Butler's comments its chair Nicole O’Reilly told the Western Plains App the real change that was needed to boost bulk billing rates is to fund entire medical services rather than per patient per visit. 

Nicole O'Reilly. Image: Supplied. 

This already occurs with services like Aboriginal Medical Centres which are given "block funding" rather than per patient funding. 

"Our research has found there is a particular disparity between urban Australia and regional and rural areas when it comes to bulk billing" Ms O'Reilly said. 

"We have found that place-based models for both care and funding would be the most effective in reducing this gap".