My childhood GP still bulk bills, but the problem is that because she is very good and does still bulk bill, she's always insanely busy. I have to basically block out half a day if I were to go see her. Also, I have to drive back to my parents area which is a half hour drive.
Our local GP is a 5min walk away and that's a $40 gap. I've never waited longer than 20minutes and the average is around 10.
And honestly at this stage of my life and career, I'd rather pay the money to get in and out quickly. If it's something more complex or relates to my medical history then I'll go see my bulkbilling one.
I got to 4 different GPs depending on the severity of the issue. 2 are bulk billed 2 are not, it depends on how badly I want to see someone to where I go. I'm fortunate of where I moved to, I've got lots of options.
Yeah...
I use my local bulk bill clinic for the "boring acute stuff"...
I pay GAP for the GP that is managing my chronic health conditions...
That said I usually hit my Medicare safety net anyhow because of specialist appointments so I get more of my GAP covered. Which is nice (it's not nice to spend $1000s on specialists) because at least it makes the decision to see the good but GAP GP easier 😂
When I lived in Canberra it was $90 out of pocket, but since moving back to Melbourne I've managed to land the unicorn of an amazing GP that bulk bills, works weekends and has after hours appointments (and of course, before you ask, now only sees existing patients). I can only imagine this is like what it feels like to be on a defined benefits pension? Or winning the lottery?
It’s as though they shouldn’t be remunerated properly, & should sacrifice their own wage whilst the politicians let everybody blame them! The audacity!
Around $40-$45. Both standard and long appointments have almost the same gap at my GP. It hasn’t changed how often I see the doctor. I would cut back on other things before cutting back on health care/preventative medicine
Yep same here $38/$40at the two GPs (diff practices) I go to. Whichever one has availability I go to as they both work part time. They both great, female (important as I'm female), caring doctors so I'm happy to pay. Both places are free for children and discounted for concession holders.
For times I just need a docs note/straightforward prescription I go to our local one inside a shopping centre which is bulk billed. Horrible receptionists/wait times/practice vibe but it's free so *shrug*
I got a skin check done the other day, cost me $400. They said to come back in 3 months to recheck some of the same moles and I'm seriously considering never going back because that money was half my savings.
Was your skin check done by a dermatologist? They are next level expensive. When I had a skin check done by a dermatologist, it was brutal on my wallet and she didn't hold back about the sun damage on my face.
My local practice is $90 for a 15 min appointment and $160 for a longer consultation - there is no bulk bill, although seemingly some old folk walk out without paying... I guess 'bulk bill' is subjective. The other GP 30mins away only bulk bills for kids (at their discretion), no bulk bill GP's in my area.
Mine is $120 for a 10-min appointment, then the rebate makes my cost about 80-90 (don't remember what the rebate actually is). Every GP my area charges pretty much the same, so there's no choice. And it's hard to get an appointment, there's only 2 doctors on for their Saturday morning appointments, and they're running late from the get-go every morning because people book a 10-min appointment and spend 30 mins detailing everything, then they only charge the 10 mins rate so people keep doing it. And bulk-billing has been dead for at least the last 15 years I've lived in Canberra. /rant
my gap is $30 and I'm incredibly lucky as she's a great doctor and I managed to get onto her patient list before she stopped taking new patients. She bulk bills children, pensioners and holders of Commonwealth concession cards.
$70 full fee M-F, about $28 after the Medicare rebate is paid back.
It’s actually cheaper there to get a prolonged consult at $140 full fee, after the rebate it’s only $22. So if you have a few things to talk about book the longer appointment and take the list in so you’re not rushed out the door.
Not everyone has the cash to pay up front high, and may not qualify for the health care card to get bulk billing, so there’s a group of people not poor enough or earning enough time be able to afford being sick
Sounds about right for a specialist hah. I had a surgical procedure done by a plastic surgeon and with the initial consult + procedure, it was close to that! I could’ve had it all done in one visit but they conveniently didn’t tell me when I was booking… I had to get back to work and re-book
GPs typically act as contractors operating from the clinic. Common pay is 70-80% of billings with the clinic retaining the rest for expenses.
Say they worked a 76 hour fortnight for 24 fortnights (standard Australian full time worker less 4 weeks unpaid, not real doctor hours). That's 1824 hours.
Standard consult block is 15 minutes, which means 7296 consults per year.
People in this thread are reporting $80-90 per. My local cost is $72.. Let's round down to 70.
That's $510k in consults fees. 70% is $357k, 80% is $408k.
A GP doing those hours at 80% of 90 per would be $525k.
A GP bulk billing gets $41.20, so at 70% that's only $210k, 80% is $240k.
My experience has been more junior GPs doing long hours in bulk bill clinics while seniors do less hours with most clinics stopping most bulk bills. (A GP getting 80% at 90 per but only working 3x 10 hour days a week is still getting $415k)
A bulk bill GP can get more if, like any other contract worker/self employed, they add some hours.
Obviously there's a huge amount of variability in hours and fees but let's not pretend a GP doesn't earn much.. unless they choose not to.
Oh, and there will be employed doctors (not contractors) whose pay will vary greatly too.
You have way over estimated the % split it’s actually 60% that’s most common, also your # of consults is way over as well while the standard block is 15 mins that doesn’t equate into that many consultations. Decent doctors will average about 25 patients a day seeing 31+ a day would require absolute focus on getting people out the door on time with no appointment overruns.
So let’s ball park your numbers into reality
25 patients a day @ $70 = 1750
60% = $1,050
Working year is actually a 46 week so that’s 230 days = $241k
This is considerably less than you have estimated.
I've worked in several GP clinics, and I concur, the standard split is around 60-70%. Training or non-fellowed GPs are on a lower percentage. Fellowed GPs get higher. 80% will be for areas where it's hard to attract/retain GPs.
Seeing 30+ pts a day is very hard. Most GPs build some free time into their schedule for "catch ups", so it's not just back to back 15-min appointments. Female doctors have it worse as their patients tend to be more complex/require longer appointments for less remuneration.
There's a lot of after-hours work that the patients don't see as well. Reviewing test results. Writing referrals. Phone calls to specialists. Paperwork. Filling out forms for Centrelink, insurance, etc. It's not like a GP can just finish their appointments for the day and walk out the door.
Then, being contractors, there are the expenses that must be paid from the GP's own earnings.
Sick leave
Superannuation
Indemnity insurance, which is currently going through the roof
Registration and membership costs (into the thousands)
Continuing Professional Development fees
Because you are wrong, you implied that you can bulk bill and earn $400k. Not true and even if they don’t bulk bill, they generally still bulk bill health care card holders, pensioners and children, which are the majority of their patient load. They also need to pay their own super, malpractice insurance etc, out of that income as they are usually contractors with their own ABN.
They earn great money because they don’t bulk bill. Bulk billing will net you the equivalent of a $200k base salary corporate role.
Not what I implied, though I understand the confusion. It’s impossible to afford those $400k salaries on Medicare rebate. But life is certainly tough on $400k. Won’t someone please think of the GPs??? There’s no coming back to bulk billed with these salaries.
The issue isn't so much the GPs but rather the GP practices can't afford all their other overheads. Their rents and other expenses are going up, but the rebates aren't. Most GPs don't own a practice and work for 65 - 70% of their billings, so focussing on how much a GP earns, is the wrong way to look at it.
People don't seem to realise that is doctors' fault that becoming one is so hard, and the reason it's so hard is so that can keep earning this kind of money.
They enforce insanely high standards to exclude all but the highest academic achievers and the most dedicated to study and awful work conditions so that the select few who get through get paid truly insane amounts of money and end up with a god complex.
Very few doctors are worth the money they cost unless you have one of the small range of problems they handle every single day, if you're a remotely complex case, particularly if you're chronically ill, the majority of doctors, even specialists in the relevant fields, will have no idea what to do, won't even try to figure it out, and will still charge $200 for a 15 minute consult that ends with "well, sure, I can't explain the symptoms that you've come in with, but it's not this particular condition I specialise in, so have you considered you're probably actually healthy?"
And who does the government consult with to organise those spots? And to determine the rules? Industry in this country largely dictates many of the terms of their own regulation, I've witnessed this firsthand in engineering, and knowing multiple doctors through family and friends, it's pretty similar in medicine.
I just struggle to understand how someone with a 99.6 atar is deemed too stupid to study medicine when we keep being told we have a critical shortage of doctors, yet we don't seem to want them to immigrate to this country to practice, and we're not making it any easier to get into medicine domestically.
I don't see who benefits from this except doctors, and it's doctors who are the primary drivers of regulation on who can practice medicine.
Every step of the way it's heavily gatekeeped and incredibly expensive, from getting into medicine, to becoming a specialist in a field, or getting a particular qualification to be a surgeon etc etc
From my personal experience they already are the ones becoming doctors.
There are some good doctors, but I find it hard to believe they're the majority from what I've seen chronically ill friends and family experience.
The problem specifically isn't the total number of doctors graduating but rather what specialties they fall into and where they decide to practice. Some specialties have their numbers centrally regulated and some do not. Currently, we have a huge shortage of GPs and an oversupply of many medical specialties in major metropolitan centres such as Sydney. 20 - 30 years ago, 50% of graduates became GPs, and now it is less than 15%. To get a metropolitan medical specialist position, it is getting to the point where you are expected to complete a phd after finishing specialist training.
You could train 1000 extra doctors, but you can't force them to become GPs. There isn't enough incentive for medical graduates to become GPs.
>A couple years ago, it was covered entirely by Medicare. I suspect that is the case for many people.
Literally haven't been bulk billed (for a real appointment) in more than 15 years, maybe 20. The Medicare contribution has never been enough to cover an appointment. Where are these bargain doctors?
They skip the small talk and go right to symptoms, so they're not for everyone. Also, no one wants their local over run, so aren't likely to tell the internet
The GP at my parents' place bulk bills - the one where I grew up.
The GP near my current place bulk bills too. Guess I found the only 2 bulk billing GP clinics in Melbourne.
My GP bulk bills - a whole bunch in my area do. Most my extended family lives out here and we all go to (for the most part) different practices. Only one of us pays a gap to see theirs. And it’s a specialty practice (women’s health hub) so that’s their preference.
Yeah, I'm thinking the same.
I have worked in multiple GP practices over the last 15 years and all had a gap from day one. Admittedly it is increasing, but it was always there.
I think OP is conflating the reduction in fully bulk billing clinics with the presence of a gap.
$64 out of pocket for short appointments. I forget how much for long (or it is different).
The past 2 years we’ve hit the safety net by August. So far haven’t had to see the GP yet this year so thats a bonus.
My GP still bulk bills for some reason (I’m not complaining). I think it’s only for existing patients though, new patients at the clinic don’t get bulk billing.
I generally save my illnesses / concerns until I have 5 or 6. Then I pay for a slightly longer visit which leaves me approx $60 out of pocket.
Credit to my local GP though. I have ongoing scripts which we do via phone and he just bulk bills me.
Edit: Costs around $50
Yah, I've been to clinics closer to the CBD due to time restraints and the margins are ridiculous.
Fortunately for me, I've been on the same medication for several years and my GP is happy to send me escripts. They are located hours away and it's not feasible to attend their clinic every time I need a refill.
I've only once opted for a longer service appointment with the closer GP. The difference was only approximately $20. I could have crammed all my concerns into the 10 minutes, but clinics are notorious for being behind schedule. I didn't want to contribute to the delay.
Pretty hard to make a profit off the abysmally low Medicare rates alone.
I wouldn't get out of bed for the money that GPs can make off bulk billing. So I don't begrudge them if they charge.
i think alot of gp's that still bulk bill are older doctors who made alot more money in the past and have realised that they're fine, they don't need to keep earning over 300K per year, their mortgage is paid off etc, they're just good people.
shouldn't be that way necessarily but it is
Never paid to see a GP when I lived in the US. They are pretty good at preventative care because they (insurance companies) know that prevention is much cheaper than treating a real problem.
I found US medical care to be at least as good as Australian as long as you had a good employer insurance policy. What a lot of Aussies do is they compare 10th-50th percentile outcomes here to those in the States. They don't realise that 90th percentile outcomes in the US are far better than here for almost anything.
Maybe, but its conditional.
Australia does not want an American style class system for health care.
Every human deserves the same quality of care, irrespective of how much money they have or their social or employment status.
Yes. I reckon it's significantly better even at the median, but definitely in the top quarter. Far worse for the bottom quarter, but it's a long way from universally bad.
Australians in general have no clue about America other than ridiculous caricatures (while simultaneously mocking anyone using Aussie caricatures and stereotypes).
As ridiculous as Americans thinking Aussies jump around in kangaroos and contend with funnel webs all day is the simplistic and naive view from Australians that America is a shit hole. Having lived there, I would say most things are far better there than here, particularly the education system. The standard of schooling here is universally shit compared to the good International Baccalaureate and Magnet schools in the U.S. - and those schools in the U.S. are free, albeit select entry.
so the richest americans get good healthcare? yeah, we knew that... that's the problem, the rich shouldn't get better healthcare than the poor, it's a human right.
Lol so many people clearly don't value a GPs time. Complain about a specialist who has studied for 15 years and expects them to not charge a fee for their time yet are happy to buy a couple lattes and a eggs Benny for $50 on a whim or $50 for a haircut.
GPs should be charging $100 gap. That 15 minute consult also includes after hours reviewing of your results/referral letters ect.
That's correct, I'm not a doctor but my wife is, and she spends every night before bed on her laptop reviewing all the incoming results and scans of her patients. Plus studying and consulting with specialists for more complex cases.
There could be a lot more time that goes behind preparing for the 15 minutes they sit with the patient
$40 for a 15 min appointment. I can’t not go either, I have chronic illnesses that mean I’m there every fortnight. Husband has chronic illnesses too. That, plus the cost of specialists and medications and scans and blood tests, means that healthcare is our second biggest expense after rent! We’d actually be able to get ahead of our debt if it wasn’t for the cost of healthcare! And getting health insurance wouldn’t help with any of these costs…
I go to a bulk billed, but have to wait a couple of hours to be seen as they don't do appointments. One time I waited almost 4 hours, I had my work laptop so I was sweet.
Partner goes to a different doctor, roughly $40 out of pocket there for a short appointment but you can book and don't waste time.
It’s the cost of running an immigration program at 500k a year, the cost they don’t include when they spew how much money immigration brings into the economy.
Medicare costs taxpayers, increasing bodies means increasing Medicare
GPs are in demand and there is too many people to service, they can increase the gap and people are forced to pay
Not just GPs, specialist’s too
WA is looking to bring in 5000 Indians to service our hospitals, they cost money, and add to public costs, and they use Medicare, they need housing, they need public services… Genius policy
Immigrants are generally younger and have fewer comorbidities.
It's the ageing boomer population that places the highest burden on the healthcare system, and that's only going to get worse.
Late to the party BUT if you are a defence spouse / dependants you are entitled to $800 P/A of specialist gap cover. The kicker is that your GP gap is not taken from this $800 pool and is unlimited.
I only found out about this after I had been married for 3 years. You can use the $800 on gaps were there is a medicare rebate, certain "extras" (physio, dental etc). But the GP visit gap is unlimited.
It's called The ADF Family Health Card. You need to apply for it, it's not automatically issued. You pay upfront and are reimbursed. Some clinics who are familiar with it can swipe it as your gap fee.
I am a GP. I charge 95 for a 15 minute or less consult. The rebate is 41. I still bb pensioners.
From this 95 I get 65 percent. ($57).
This is supposed to cover all my professional development costs (more than 10,000 a year) holidays, superannuation, sick leave. (This is also all pre tax).
I have two specialities , one advanced skill, on post grad diploma and multiple extra licences.
I cannot afford to bulk bill and receive recognition of my skills and knowledge.
Those that do BB either do not value their worth, or have rapid turn around.
There's no bulk billing around where I am and my GP practice is over $60 a visit out of pocket. I had to have a number of appointments with my GP and also specialists, not including out of pocket for various tests and scans. They were all quite surprised when I said I could not return weekly as they wanted and it would be at most in 6-8 weeks time due to the cost. One specialist said but you urgently need to come back after your test results are back. I said only if you will bulk bill the visit. Suddenly my urgent visit can wait 2 months.
If all I need is a sick note, then I use the phone gp service and they email you one. Otherwise it's $40 to get a prescription that's $7 under the PBS. Go figure.
There’s a bulk billing GP near me in Brisbane and another one down the road, but all bulk billing clinics nowadays have become “appointment mills”. It’s not fault of the staff, but they’re so rare that they churn through patients and doctors quickly and it’s impossible to go to a bulk billing clinic regularly and establish a relationship with a specific whom you’d consider your “regular GP”. You’re basically just going to see whatever doctor is on the day you need an appointment and hope they refer to and understand your hx. They’re bad for continuity of care.
Maybe not all bulk billing clinics in the capitals are like this nowadays but it’s my experience. If you want to have a GP who’s “your doctor” (and want to be able to have an appointment that starts close to your booking time, like during a work lunch break) you have to go somewhere that has a co-pay.
Until 2 years ago our GP bulk billed. I have a chronic illness and need to see him every few months for prescriptions. It's not $45 out of pocket each time.
There should be an investigation into the medicare levi since now it has turned into a rort tax where the citizen gets nothing back in return. All we get now is out of pocket expenses.
Yeah, but people have no problem spending $50 at Uncle Dan's, on getting their fake nails done, on a pack of winnie blues or a pop of botox, or having a punt on Sportsbet. There are folks who will regularly drop at few hundred at the chiropractor but expect the doctor to be free. There are the boomers who go on about their 6-month European holiday they just came back from, "oh, and can you bulk-bill me?"
Free healthcare is ideal, but we have an ageing population, and there is the increasing burden of poor lifestyle decisions (obesity, inactivity, booze, smokes, bad nutrition) that is so prevalent nowadays, and is weighing down the healthcare system. Medicare just isn't sustainable in its current form. The govt isn't ever going to increase the rebate to match CPI, and the costs of increasing everything (electricity, insurance, staff wages, consumables etc) is being passed onto you, the consumer.
So in the future, it's going to be about priorities. Best to plan for a certain amount of savings as "health funds."
There are no bulk billing GPs left in town unless you have a health care card & even with one there are only two & both have their books closed to new patients or any patients who have not been in the last two years.
I used to see one of the bulk billing ones (even though I was not bulk billed & paid about $30 gap fee) as it was closer to home, but the waiting time sometimes stretched to an hour so I switched to another clinic where I pay a gap fee of $55 for a standard consultation & that gets me about 7 minutes in front of the GP. I go every four weeks due to a chronic condition which requires regular blood tests that he needs to go over with me. I have never waited more than 10 minutes to see the GP so it is worth the extra money to not wait an hour.
Our doctors clinic now charges $60 upfront. Just ruined things for us. We go much less than before. They said rebates bot getting adjusted for a decade kinda forced them to do this.
$90 up front usually. However I was diagnosed with a chronic condition so they put me on some go management plan, so now all those are bulk billed. So yay for chronic illness I guess.
0. I have a few here that bulk bill. One of them is a newer ethnic male doctor so he is trying to get more patients. Nothing wrong with him professionally as far as I experienced.
The problem is GP are essentially pushed into running their own business but have not been trained to run a business.
They should be getting customers to fill in a form regarding what they are needing, filter them by time to serve, and charge accordingly.
Someone wanting a sick note or a prescription refilled should take a couple of minutes and be free.
Someone with pain may need a quick check and referral to mri or ultrasound. Maybe a full 15min session but reduced cost to maybe a $10 gap.
Longner appointment would be charge appropriately as well.
The issue customers have is they are charged the same whether its a quick sick note or a more meaningful appointment, which is frustrating.
I do not go to the doctor unless I need a referral to some kind of specialist... or I am dying.
Dopeopkw just go to the doc for every little thing?
No wonder the medical system is a shit show.
$60 out of pocket in regional Vic. No bulk billed within 20 min drive. They charge $60 for 2 minute calls about referrals, to script reissuing, to kids. It’s costs me a fortune. I have chronic conditions and avoid it as much as possible.
Never paid until recently and I only will pay for it now because I need a better doctor for a serious medical matter. After it's dealt with I will go back to my rude, rushed bulk billing GP.
I feel certain pensioners are unfairly consuming the available bulk billed appointments - using the GP as someone to talk to / something to do.
Mine bulk bills but you can never get an appointment within the same or next day. So it’s good for routine or non urgent stuff but hard to get in for a certificate or if I’m sick that day
There are no bulk billing doctors in the town I live in (technically a city, but only just). A couple of years ago, every doctor in town was bulk billing. The one I go to is $95 for a 15min appointment
I'm in the same boat. Regularly have to see the GP for scripts. I'm thinking of going to one of those bulk-bill online places for my regular scripts but at the moment it's working out ok and I can ask for scripts in advance. The main pain in the arse is that I take 4 medications which each involve different numbers of pills per script. Two I have to take, two I can skip so inevitably I will end up skipping out on some until I have to get scripts for the one I need.
People with chronic conditions like mine will end up skipping appointments, especially if they are low on cash.
To clarify I don't waste my money on things like the hairdresser or pretend doctors like Chiropractors.
Bulk billed - it does suck if they're pushed for time & you legit can only get time for a quick check.
Um,the last gp rebate was maybe $60?
The biggest rip is psychiatric appointments.
I went for a visit on a Saturday had to pay $100 up front and was rebated $40 2 weeks later. I’m grateful repeat prescriptions aren’t charged but jeez. The doctor even said ‘anything else?’ Like I should’ve had a list of problems for them to address for the amount I paid. Of course you think of things later 🙄
High income suburbs have this issue frequently, plain economics at play, charge more to those who can afford to pay more I guess...
Find a good to bulk billing GPs....ask around.
>The increasing underfunding of Medicare
Yet somehow the media has managed to shift the narrative to the Stage 3 tax cuts being marginally less good for the highest earners, rather than discussing should we be actually cutting the taxes at a time when some public services need more funding...
Look up the rebate amount now vs the rebate amount 15-20 years ago and you’ll have your answer 🥴
ETA it’s easy enough just to add some figures since I already have them on my phone. To give you an idea, if rebates had kept up with inflation since 1976 a standard consult would be worth about $61 today. In the last decade the rebate has only risen from $37.05 for a standard consult to $41.40.
They already haven’t done it. They increased the rebate by 2.1%. They increased the bulk billing incentive for children, pension and concession cards by an average of 12, at a time when the AMA gap was more than $40. The govt has spoken - they are happy for bulk billing to die.
I found a good bulk-billed place until they started the new co-payment model. Medicare needs to be reviewed and indexed properly before everyone submits to this co-pay bs.
This isn't a new model. I've been in GP land for 15 years and the gaps were about $30 when I started. They have been forever to increase the gaps because of successive cuts to Medicare and pauses of rebate increases.
Around $50 out of pocket which makes me get more annoyed if I go to a doctor feeling ill just wanting a script to help make me feel better and they’re like nah wait it out or come back in 3 days if you’re still sick like excuse me that is $100 for a maybeeee mate
Yeh I really go to the GP. See specialists more 🫠
When I go to the GP I always book a long appointment. The out of pocket costs are the same as a standard but you don't feel rushed
$55 gap for a long appointment. I avoid unless urgent and then I'll get renewed prescription refills at those appointments.
Specialists are out of the question. If it gets bad enough, the specialists in the hospital can see me.
With average GP contractor (ie working in a private clinic) income now pushing AUD 300,000 per year, I think there needs to be a reckoning around the profiteering that's occurring and the expense of overwhelmingly poorer users.
That's absolute horseshit lmao you'd have to be seeing 6 patients an hour or working 12 hour days to make that much as a bulk billing GP, unless you're rural and the majority of your patients are pensioners or concession card holders.
It’s supply and demand. Why would any doctor with a choice become paid less than half their specialist colleagues for a frankly thankless job. They wouldn’t, which is why we have a shortage of GPs. That shortage drives fees up, because why would any individual GP choose to work in a sausage factory bulk billing practice when they could work somewhere nicer for more money. This isn’t profiteering is basic human nature.
My childhood GP still bulk bills, but the problem is that because she is very good and does still bulk bill, she's always insanely busy. I have to basically block out half a day if I were to go see her. Also, I have to drive back to my parents area which is a half hour drive. Our local GP is a 5min walk away and that's a $40 gap. I've never waited longer than 20minutes and the average is around 10. And honestly at this stage of my life and career, I'd rather pay the money to get in and out quickly. If it's something more complex or relates to my medical history then I'll go see my bulkbilling one.
Exactly, I’d rather pay $40 ( I realise some people can’t though)
I got to 4 different GPs depending on the severity of the issue. 2 are bulk billed 2 are not, it depends on how badly I want to see someone to where I go. I'm fortunate of where I moved to, I've got lots of options.
Yeah... I use my local bulk bill clinic for the "boring acute stuff"... I pay GAP for the GP that is managing my chronic health conditions... That said I usually hit my Medicare safety net anyhow because of specialist appointments so I get more of my GAP covered. Which is nice (it's not nice to spend $1000s on specialists) because at least it makes the decision to see the good but GAP GP easier 😂
not for long lmao
When I lived in Canberra it was $90 out of pocket, but since moving back to Melbourne I've managed to land the unicorn of an amazing GP that bulk bills, works weekends and has after hours appointments (and of course, before you ask, now only sees existing patients). I can only imagine this is like what it feels like to be on a defined benefits pension? Or winning the lottery?
90 out of pocket is insane
Bulk billing + after hours weekends is even crazier
It’s almost as though doctors work for the wellbeing of their fellow humans, who don’t always get sick 9-5 M-F
It’s as though they shouldn’t be remunerated properly, & should sacrifice their own wage whilst the politicians let everybody blame them! The audacity!
That's what my CBR GP charges me too. Standard here, we have less of everything which mean the price is always higher.
I’m in Canberra and paying half that out of pocket.
Omg which gp - do let us know if it’s north of Melbourne?
Around $40-$45. Both standard and long appointments have almost the same gap at my GP. It hasn’t changed how often I see the doctor. I would cut back on other things before cutting back on health care/preventative medicine
lol i paid $90 for a 30 min checkup on a weekend at a private. Then got 2 vaccines and paid about $280 all up
That seems cheap for 30 mins when mostly we pay a gap of $40 for a 5 minute appointment.
Yep same here $38/$40at the two GPs (diff practices) I go to. Whichever one has availability I go to as they both work part time. They both great, female (important as I'm female), caring doctors so I'm happy to pay. Both places are free for children and discounted for concession holders. For times I just need a docs note/straightforward prescription I go to our local one inside a shopping centre which is bulk billed. Horrible receptionists/wait times/practice vibe but it's free so *shrug*
I got a skin check done the other day, cost me $400. They said to come back in 3 months to recheck some of the same moles and I'm seriously considering never going back because that money was half my savings.
Was your skin check done by a dermatologist? They are next level expensive. When I had a skin check done by a dermatologist, it was brutal on my wallet and she didn't hold back about the sun damage on my face.
Not even, it was done by a GP 🙄
My local practice is $90 for a 15 min appointment and $160 for a longer consultation - there is no bulk bill, although seemingly some old folk walk out without paying... I guess 'bulk bill' is subjective. The other GP 30mins away only bulk bills for kids (at their discretion), no bulk bill GP's in my area.
FYI they were asking how much gap you pay out of pocket rather than the total bill.
I’m just having a whinge about how expensive it is in general where I live.
90 gap is out of control
Pretty sure they get the Medicare rebate but it’s $90 upfront
I pay a $90 gap, so it's not impossible that they were answering correctly.
I paid an $80 gap when I lived in Kew in 2017.
Mine is $120 for a 10-min appointment, then the rebate makes my cost about 80-90 (don't remember what the rebate actually is). Every GP my area charges pretty much the same, so there's no choice. And it's hard to get an appointment, there's only 2 doctors on for their Saturday morning appointments, and they're running late from the get-go every morning because people book a 10-min appointment and spend 30 mins detailing everything, then they only charge the 10 mins rate so people keep doing it. And bulk-billing has been dead for at least the last 15 years I've lived in Canberra. /rant
My GP was $100 gap. Ended up switching to a $60 gap doctor.
Same for me
my gap is $30 and I'm incredibly lucky as she's a great doctor and I managed to get onto her patient list before she stopped taking new patients. She bulk bills children, pensioners and holders of Commonwealth concession cards.
Nothing is always free where I go.
Free for me as well. They’ve started charging for new patients though.
The money you earn aswell, you'd think you would fork out for your healthcare. Sparkies pft, the spice boys tight arses of the tradies.
Same. I've never ever paid for a GP.
Me as well.
$70 full fee M-F, about $28 after the Medicare rebate is paid back. It’s actually cheaper there to get a prolonged consult at $140 full fee, after the rebate it’s only $22. So if you have a few things to talk about book the longer appointment and take the list in so you’re not rushed out the door. Not everyone has the cash to pay up front high, and may not qualify for the health care card to get bulk billing, so there’s a group of people not poor enough or earning enough time be able to afford being sick
The forgotten middle lol. Why do you think so many people intentionally keep themselves below a certain threshold for benefits?
About $60. The specialists are the killer though. $300 out of pocket for scans and now more required.
Sounds about right for a specialist hah. I had a surgical procedure done by a plastic surgeon and with the initial consult + procedure, it was close to that! I could’ve had it all done in one visit but they conveniently didn’t tell me when I was booking… I had to get back to work and re-book
GPs can’t survive on the Medicare rebate sadly
It’s tough on a $400k salary. It’s very sad indeed.
You know they’re not really earning that much, right?
Pray tell then, what does the average GP make per hour?
GPs typically act as contractors operating from the clinic. Common pay is 70-80% of billings with the clinic retaining the rest for expenses. Say they worked a 76 hour fortnight for 24 fortnights (standard Australian full time worker less 4 weeks unpaid, not real doctor hours). That's 1824 hours. Standard consult block is 15 minutes, which means 7296 consults per year. People in this thread are reporting $80-90 per. My local cost is $72.. Let's round down to 70. That's $510k in consults fees. 70% is $357k, 80% is $408k. A GP doing those hours at 80% of 90 per would be $525k. A GP bulk billing gets $41.20, so at 70% that's only $210k, 80% is $240k. My experience has been more junior GPs doing long hours in bulk bill clinics while seniors do less hours with most clinics stopping most bulk bills. (A GP getting 80% at 90 per but only working 3x 10 hour days a week is still getting $415k) A bulk bill GP can get more if, like any other contract worker/self employed, they add some hours. Obviously there's a huge amount of variability in hours and fees but let's not pretend a GP doesn't earn much.. unless they choose not to. Oh, and there will be employed doctors (not contractors) whose pay will vary greatly too.
You have way over estimated the % split it’s actually 60% that’s most common, also your # of consults is way over as well while the standard block is 15 mins that doesn’t equate into that many consultations. Decent doctors will average about 25 patients a day seeing 31+ a day would require absolute focus on getting people out the door on time with no appointment overruns. So let’s ball park your numbers into reality 25 patients a day @ $70 = 1750 60% = $1,050 Working year is actually a 46 week so that’s 230 days = $241k This is considerably less than you have estimated.
I've worked in several GP clinics, and I concur, the standard split is around 60-70%. Training or non-fellowed GPs are on a lower percentage. Fellowed GPs get higher. 80% will be for areas where it's hard to attract/retain GPs. Seeing 30+ pts a day is very hard. Most GPs build some free time into their schedule for "catch ups", so it's not just back to back 15-min appointments. Female doctors have it worse as their patients tend to be more complex/require longer appointments for less remuneration. There's a lot of after-hours work that the patients don't see as well. Reviewing test results. Writing referrals. Phone calls to specialists. Paperwork. Filling out forms for Centrelink, insurance, etc. It's not like a GP can just finish their appointments for the day and walk out the door. Then, being contractors, there are the expenses that must be paid from the GP's own earnings. Sick leave Superannuation Indemnity insurance, which is currently going through the roof Registration and membership costs (into the thousands) Continuing Professional Development fees
My wife is a private billing doctor and this guy is way off base with his estimates of income and costs
Definitely.
Based on the recent AusFinance post about how much you earn, there was a GP barely earning $100k, so I really don’t think they’re earning much
After 10-15yrs of studying after finishing school...
Surgeons and specialists might be earning that much, but GP's aren't.
$400k salary GP?? Mate, is it from trust me bro
So you want GPs or not? Supply and demand theory. More are selecting specialities (and private) than ever before.
Not sure why you’re being downvoted, my friend is a GP and she works part time for ~$200k
It’s meaningless, and I’m not wrong
Because you are wrong, you implied that you can bulk bill and earn $400k. Not true and even if they don’t bulk bill, they generally still bulk bill health care card holders, pensioners and children, which are the majority of their patient load. They also need to pay their own super, malpractice insurance etc, out of that income as they are usually contractors with their own ABN. They earn great money because they don’t bulk bill. Bulk billing will net you the equivalent of a $200k base salary corporate role.
Not what I implied, though I understand the confusion. It’s impossible to afford those $400k salaries on Medicare rebate. But life is certainly tough on $400k. Won’t someone please think of the GPs??? There’s no coming back to bulk billed with these salaries.
Lol mate go become a GP then
The issue isn't so much the GPs but rather the GP practices can't afford all their other overheads. Their rents and other expenses are going up, but the rebates aren't. Most GPs don't own a practice and work for 65 - 70% of their billings, so focussing on how much a GP earns, is the wrong way to look at it.
People don't seem to realise that is doctors' fault that becoming one is so hard, and the reason it's so hard is so that can keep earning this kind of money. They enforce insanely high standards to exclude all but the highest academic achievers and the most dedicated to study and awful work conditions so that the select few who get through get paid truly insane amounts of money and end up with a god complex. Very few doctors are worth the money they cost unless you have one of the small range of problems they handle every single day, if you're a remotely complex case, particularly if you're chronically ill, the majority of doctors, even specialists in the relevant fields, will have no idea what to do, won't even try to figure it out, and will still charge $200 for a 15 minute consult that ends with "well, sure, I can't explain the symptoms that you've come in with, but it's not this particular condition I specialise in, so have you considered you're probably actually healthy?"
Doctors don’t control training spots this is an absurd take it’s completely controlled by the government
And who does the government consult with to organise those spots? And to determine the rules? Industry in this country largely dictates many of the terms of their own regulation, I've witnessed this firsthand in engineering, and knowing multiple doctors through family and friends, it's pretty similar in medicine.
Source, trust me bro
This is a hot take.
I just struggle to understand how someone with a 99.6 atar is deemed too stupid to study medicine when we keep being told we have a critical shortage of doctors, yet we don't seem to want them to immigrate to this country to practice, and we're not making it any easier to get into medicine domestically. I don't see who benefits from this except doctors, and it's doctors who are the primary drivers of regulation on who can practice medicine. Every step of the way it's heavily gatekeeped and incredibly expensive, from getting into medicine, to becoming a specialist in a field, or getting a particular qualification to be a surgeon etc etc
Probably because atar is only one part of it. You really want your psychopaths with 99 atar becoming doctors?
From my personal experience they already are the ones becoming doctors. There are some good doctors, but I find it hard to believe they're the majority from what I've seen chronically ill friends and family experience.
The problem specifically isn't the total number of doctors graduating but rather what specialties they fall into and where they decide to practice. Some specialties have their numbers centrally regulated and some do not. Currently, we have a huge shortage of GPs and an oversupply of many medical specialties in major metropolitan centres such as Sydney. 20 - 30 years ago, 50% of graduates became GPs, and now it is less than 15%. To get a metropolitan medical specialist position, it is getting to the point where you are expected to complete a phd after finishing specialist training. You could train 1000 extra doctors, but you can't force them to become GPs. There isn't enough incentive for medical graduates to become GPs.
Try psychiatrists. $250/appt ($600 for first) and they rush multiple through per hour $$$. They’d have to be bringing in millions of $ a year.
>A couple years ago, it was covered entirely by Medicare. I suspect that is the case for many people. Literally haven't been bulk billed (for a real appointment) in more than 15 years, maybe 20. The Medicare contribution has never been enough to cover an appointment. Where are these bargain doctors?
They skip the small talk and go right to symptoms, so they're not for everyone. Also, no one wants their local over run, so aren't likely to tell the internet
The GP at my parents' place bulk bills - the one where I grew up. The GP near my current place bulk bills too. Guess I found the only 2 bulk billing GP clinics in Melbourne.
My GP bulk bills - a whole bunch in my area do. Most my extended family lives out here and we all go to (for the most part) different practices. Only one of us pays a gap to see theirs. And it’s a specialty practice (women’s health hub) so that’s their preference.
Yeah, I'm thinking the same. I have worked in multiple GP practices over the last 15 years and all had a gap from day one. Admittedly it is increasing, but it was always there. I think OP is conflating the reduction in fully bulk billing clinics with the presence of a gap.
Try foreign doctors in the outer suburbs, though all my local ones started charging a gap last year so that sucks.
There are a few bulk billers in my area. In some practises the less popular doctors bulk bill so you need to investigate a little.
$64 out of pocket for short appointments. I forget how much for long (or it is different). The past 2 years we’ve hit the safety net by August. So far haven’t had to see the GP yet this year so thats a bonus.
We are around the $60 also. It actually costs us less if we book a long appointment.
Nothing, cause my clinic still bill bills. Not sure how much longer that will last for though
My GP still bulk bills for some reason (I’m not complaining). I think it’s only for existing patients though, new patients at the clinic don’t get bulk billing.
I generally save my illnesses / concerns until I have 5 or 6. Then I pay for a slightly longer visit which leaves me approx $60 out of pocket. Credit to my local GP though. I have ongoing scripts which we do via phone and he just bulk bills me. Edit: Costs around $50
That’s impressive. My GP is $50 out of pocket for a “standard 1 or 2 concerns” and more (up to $90 I think) if you select a longer appointment.
Yah, I've been to clinics closer to the CBD due to time restraints and the margins are ridiculous. Fortunately for me, I've been on the same medication for several years and my GP is happy to send me escripts. They are located hours away and it's not feasible to attend their clinic every time I need a refill. I've only once opted for a longer service appointment with the closer GP. The difference was only approximately $20. I could have crammed all my concerns into the 10 minutes, but clinics are notorious for being behind schedule. I didn't want to contribute to the delay.
About $66 out of pocket for a standard consult and yep, only see my GP if I really had to.
I am paying $20 out of pocket for a GP appointment.
$50 I think the fee is $91 and the rebate is $41
Depends why I’m going, usually about $25 out of pocket. Once we hit the safety net, $3 per visit.
Paying to see the GP is yank shit.
It is, that’s where this country is headed
Pretty hard to make a profit off the abysmally low Medicare rates alone. I wouldn't get out of bed for the money that GPs can make off bulk billing. So I don't begrudge them if they charge.
We don't begrudge the doctor. We begrudge the system being slowly bled to death.
i think alot of gp's that still bulk bill are older doctors who made alot more money in the past and have realised that they're fine, they don't need to keep earning over 300K per year, their mortgage is paid off etc, they're just good people. shouldn't be that way necessarily but it is
Never paid to see a GP when I lived in the US. They are pretty good at preventative care because they (insurance companies) know that prevention is much cheaper than treating a real problem.
I found US medical care to be at least as good as Australian as long as you had a good employer insurance policy. What a lot of Aussies do is they compare 10th-50th percentile outcomes here to those in the States. They don't realise that 90th percentile outcomes in the US are far better than here for almost anything.
Maybe, but its conditional. Australia does not want an American style class system for health care. Every human deserves the same quality of care, irrespective of how much money they have or their social or employment status.
Yes. I reckon it's significantly better even at the median, but definitely in the top quarter. Far worse for the bottom quarter, but it's a long way from universally bad. Australians in general have no clue about America other than ridiculous caricatures (while simultaneously mocking anyone using Aussie caricatures and stereotypes).
As ridiculous as Americans thinking Aussies jump around in kangaroos and contend with funnel webs all day is the simplistic and naive view from Australians that America is a shit hole. Having lived there, I would say most things are far better there than here, particularly the education system. The standard of schooling here is universally shit compared to the good International Baccalaureate and Magnet schools in the U.S. - and those schools in the U.S. are free, albeit select entry.
so the richest americans get good healthcare? yeah, we knew that... that's the problem, the rich shouldn't get better healthcare than the poor, it's a human right.
Even that is like 15-25 USD.
Then lobby the government to increase the rebate. Practises can’t exist on the current rebate
Lol so many people clearly don't value a GPs time. Complain about a specialist who has studied for 15 years and expects them to not charge a fee for their time yet are happy to buy a couple lattes and a eggs Benny for $50 on a whim or $50 for a haircut. GPs should be charging $100 gap. That 15 minute consult also includes after hours reviewing of your results/referral letters ect.
That's correct, I'm not a doctor but my wife is, and she spends every night before bed on her laptop reviewing all the incoming results and scans of her patients. Plus studying and consulting with specialists for more complex cases. There could be a lot more time that goes behind preparing for the 15 minutes they sit with the patient
To be fair, considering the average salary of ausfinance to be pretty high, they'd be paying quite a bit on the Medicare levy already
Medicare levy doesn't even go to Medicare
Exactly. $40 gap fee is murder, but a tradie who charges $3500 for a shit rush job is no problem because snap-on ain’t cheap bro.
IM SORRY WHAT. WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT SPECIALISTS IN THIS THREAD???
GPs are specialists 😉
Everyone. A GP is a general specialist. They don't just walk out of medical school and set up as a GP.
Mine gap was $53.6 on the 26th of Feb
$60 out of pocket for a long appointment and $30 for a short appointment is typical for me. It's open season when I hit the Medicare safety net.
$40 for a 15 min appointment. I can’t not go either, I have chronic illnesses that mean I’m there every fortnight. Husband has chronic illnesses too. That, plus the cost of specialists and medications and scans and blood tests, means that healthcare is our second biggest expense after rent! We’d actually be able to get ahead of our debt if it wasn’t for the cost of healthcare! And getting health insurance wouldn’t help with any of these costs…
I go to a bulk billed, but have to wait a couple of hours to be seen as they don't do appointments. One time I waited almost 4 hours, I had my work laptop so I was sweet. Partner goes to a different doctor, roughly $40 out of pocket there for a short appointment but you can book and don't waste time.
I’ve never payed once, Medicare covers all of it.
Around $40 gap.
It’s the cost of running an immigration program at 500k a year, the cost they don’t include when they spew how much money immigration brings into the economy. Medicare costs taxpayers, increasing bodies means increasing Medicare GPs are in demand and there is too many people to service, they can increase the gap and people are forced to pay Not just GPs, specialist’s too WA is looking to bring in 5000 Indians to service our hospitals, they cost money, and add to public costs, and they use Medicare, they need housing, they need public services… Genius policy
Immigrants are generally younger and have fewer comorbidities. It's the ageing boomer population that places the highest burden on the healthcare system, and that's only going to get worse.
Late to the party BUT if you are a defence spouse / dependants you are entitled to $800 P/A of specialist gap cover. The kicker is that your GP gap is not taken from this $800 pool and is unlimited. I only found out about this after I had been married for 3 years. You can use the $800 on gaps were there is a medicare rebate, certain "extras" (physio, dental etc). But the GP visit gap is unlimited. It's called The ADF Family Health Card. You need to apply for it, it's not automatically issued. You pay upfront and are reimbursed. Some clinics who are familiar with it can swipe it as your gap fee.
I am a GP. I charge 95 for a 15 minute or less consult. The rebate is 41. I still bb pensioners. From this 95 I get 65 percent. ($57). This is supposed to cover all my professional development costs (more than 10,000 a year) holidays, superannuation, sick leave. (This is also all pre tax). I have two specialities , one advanced skill, on post grad diploma and multiple extra licences. I cannot afford to bulk bill and receive recognition of my skills and knowledge. Those that do BB either do not value their worth, or have rapid turn around.
There's no bulk billing around where I am and my GP practice is over $60 a visit out of pocket. I had to have a number of appointments with my GP and also specialists, not including out of pocket for various tests and scans. They were all quite surprised when I said I could not return weekly as they wanted and it would be at most in 6-8 weeks time due to the cost. One specialist said but you urgently need to come back after your test results are back. I said only if you will bulk bill the visit. Suddenly my urgent visit can wait 2 months.
Over here in the socialist hellhole that is Europe, it’s free.
If all I need is a sick note, then I use the phone gp service and they email you one. Otherwise it's $40 to get a prescription that's $7 under the PBS. Go figure.
There’s a bulk billing GP near me in Brisbane and another one down the road, but all bulk billing clinics nowadays have become “appointment mills”. It’s not fault of the staff, but they’re so rare that they churn through patients and doctors quickly and it’s impossible to go to a bulk billing clinic regularly and establish a relationship with a specific whom you’d consider your “regular GP”. You’re basically just going to see whatever doctor is on the day you need an appointment and hope they refer to and understand your hx. They’re bad for continuity of care. Maybe not all bulk billing clinics in the capitals are like this nowadays but it’s my experience. If you want to have a GP who’s “your doctor” (and want to be able to have an appointment that starts close to your booking time, like during a work lunch break) you have to go somewhere that has a co-pay.
Until 2 years ago our GP bulk billed. I have a chronic illness and need to see him every few months for prescriptions. It's not $45 out of pocket each time.
There should be an investigation into the medicare levi since now it has turned into a rort tax where the citizen gets nothing back in return. All we get now is out of pocket expenses.
*Laughs in Canberrain* Try $90 gap, friends. Last time I saw $40 gap fees I was barely a man and had unlimited health.
$0, bulk bill in QLD
Yeah, but people have no problem spending $50 at Uncle Dan's, on getting their fake nails done, on a pack of winnie blues or a pop of botox, or having a punt on Sportsbet. There are folks who will regularly drop at few hundred at the chiropractor but expect the doctor to be free. There are the boomers who go on about their 6-month European holiday they just came back from, "oh, and can you bulk-bill me?" Free healthcare is ideal, but we have an ageing population, and there is the increasing burden of poor lifestyle decisions (obesity, inactivity, booze, smokes, bad nutrition) that is so prevalent nowadays, and is weighing down the healthcare system. Medicare just isn't sustainable in its current form. The govt isn't ever going to increase the rebate to match CPI, and the costs of increasing everything (electricity, insurance, staff wages, consumables etc) is being passed onto you, the consumer. So in the future, it's going to be about priorities. Best to plan for a certain amount of savings as "health funds."
my gp still bulk bills for face to face visits
I've never paid
There are no bulk billing GPs left in town unless you have a health care card & even with one there are only two & both have their books closed to new patients or any patients who have not been in the last two years. I used to see one of the bulk billing ones (even though I was not bulk billed & paid about $30 gap fee) as it was closer to home, but the waiting time sometimes stretched to an hour so I switched to another clinic where I pay a gap fee of $55 for a standard consultation & that gets me about 7 minutes in front of the GP. I go every four weeks due to a chronic condition which requires regular blood tests that he needs to go over with me. I have never waited more than 10 minutes to see the GP so it is worth the extra money to not wait an hour.
It's free and I avoid it untill absolutely necessary.
These days you really need a rotation or your doing yourself a disservice
Between $40 to $70 if it’s a longer appointment
Our doctors clinic now charges $60 upfront. Just ruined things for us. We go much less than before. They said rebates bot getting adjusted for a decade kinda forced them to do this.
$60 gap. It's to stop the time wasters. Many doctors who have the same patients with ongoing conditions I believe are giving them bulk billing.
$90 up front usually. However I was diagnosed with a chronic condition so they put me on some go management plan, so now all those are bulk billed. So yay for chronic illness I guess.
0. I have a few here that bulk bill. One of them is a newer ethnic male doctor so he is trying to get more patients. Nothing wrong with him professionally as far as I experienced.
In Perth they’ve all stopped bulk billing pretty much across the board over the last 2 years
The problem is GP are essentially pushed into running their own business but have not been trained to run a business. They should be getting customers to fill in a form regarding what they are needing, filter them by time to serve, and charge accordingly. Someone wanting a sick note or a prescription refilled should take a couple of minutes and be free. Someone with pain may need a quick check and referral to mri or ultrasound. Maybe a full 15min session but reduced cost to maybe a $10 gap. Longner appointment would be charge appropriately as well. The issue customers have is they are charged the same whether its a quick sick note or a more meaningful appointment, which is frustrating.
No out of pocket during the week $28.80 OOP Saturdays $31.35 OOP Sundays
$85 per GP visit Tas
I do not go to the doctor unless I need a referral to some kind of specialist... or I am dying. Dopeopkw just go to the doc for every little thing? No wonder the medical system is a shit show.
$30 which doesn’t seem to bad in comparison to other posts.
As a 62 yo, about $20 but it varies depending on where I go.
$60 out of pocket in regional Vic. No bulk billed within 20 min drive. They charge $60 for 2 minute calls about referrals, to script reissuing, to kids. It’s costs me a fortune. I have chronic conditions and avoid it as much as possible.
Never paid until recently and I only will pay for it now because I need a better doctor for a serious medical matter. After it's dealt with I will go back to my rude, rushed bulk billing GP. I feel certain pensioners are unfairly consuming the available bulk billed appointments - using the GP as someone to talk to / something to do.
$75 out of pocket on a 15 minute appointment, and $110 out of pocket on a slightly longer allt.
Mine bulk bills but you can never get an appointment within the same or next day. So it’s good for routine or non urgent stuff but hard to get in for a certificate or if I’m sick that day
There are no bulk billing doctors in the town I live in (technically a city, but only just). A couple of years ago, every doctor in town was bulk billing. The one I go to is $95 for a 15min appointment
$0. Most doctors in my area bulk bill. Some arent taking new patients anymore though. They are mostly all great doctors.
I'm in the same boat. Regularly have to see the GP for scripts. I'm thinking of going to one of those bulk-bill online places for my regular scripts but at the moment it's working out ok and I can ask for scripts in advance. The main pain in the arse is that I take 4 medications which each involve different numbers of pills per script. Two I have to take, two I can skip so inevitably I will end up skipping out on some until I have to get scripts for the one I need. People with chronic conditions like mine will end up skipping appointments, especially if they are low on cash. To clarify I don't waste my money on things like the hairdresser or pretend doctors like Chiropractors.
Bulk billed - it does suck if they're pushed for time & you legit can only get time for a quick check. Um,the last gp rebate was maybe $60? The biggest rip is psychiatric appointments.
Mine is out of pocket $120 for a 10 minute appointment
I went for a visit on a Saturday had to pay $100 up front and was rebated $40 2 weeks later. I’m grateful repeat prescriptions aren’t charged but jeez. The doctor even said ‘anything else?’ Like I should’ve had a list of problems for them to address for the amount I paid. Of course you think of things later 🙄
$40-60 the few times I’ve had to go to the doctor here.
I pay $42 per appointment (either 15mins or 30mins)
In the city it cost me $105 with a $41 Medicare rebate all for a scraped knee
High income suburbs have this issue frequently, plain economics at play, charge more to those who can afford to pay more I guess... Find a good to bulk billing GPs....ask around.
$110 standard / $195 long appointment and $41 rebate
About $40 - $50 out of pocket and I'm very happy to pay it. The quality of care I get compared to bulk billed is day and night.
>The increasing underfunding of Medicare Yet somehow the media has managed to shift the narrative to the Stage 3 tax cuts being marginally less good for the highest earners, rather than discussing should we be actually cutting the taxes at a time when some public services need more funding...
I don't even bother anymore. $50 just to be told to take panadol or send me to a specialist, its not worth it anymore
Shop around to find a bulk billed. I’ll never pay out of pocket for a GP
Great in theory, but in so many places you’d have to travel a long way. The real problem is, why isn’t it just bulk billed anymore?
Look up the rebate amount now vs the rebate amount 15-20 years ago and you’ll have your answer 🥴 ETA it’s easy enough just to add some figures since I already have them on my phone. To give you an idea, if rebates had kept up with inflation since 1976 a standard consult would be worth about $61 today. In the last decade the rebate has only risen from $37.05 for a standard consult to $41.40.
Hopefully this can be corrected federally by the current government. If they don't do it, we might not ever get the chance...
They already haven’t done it. They increased the rebate by 2.1%. They increased the bulk billing incentive for children, pension and concession cards by an average of 12, at a time when the AMA gap was more than $40. The govt has spoken - they are happy for bulk billing to die.
It’s really a matter of priorities.. it’s hard to give tax cuts and increase services at the same time. Most people I know would prefer the services.
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I found a good bulk-billed place until they started the new co-payment model. Medicare needs to be reviewed and indexed properly before everyone submits to this co-pay bs.
This isn't a new model. I've been in GP land for 15 years and the gaps were about $30 when I started. They have been forever to increase the gaps because of successive cuts to Medicare and pauses of rebate increases.
Yes, growing up regionally I don't think there was ever a bulk billing surgery. Either you rarely went, or just when very very sick or injured.
There is no "new copayment model". It's exactly the same as its been for decades.
I only aim to go to bulk-billed GP. I call and ask and if they dont offer I cross them off the list.
Around $50 out of pocket which makes me get more annoyed if I go to a doctor feeling ill just wanting a script to help make me feel better and they’re like nah wait it out or come back in 3 days if you’re still sick like excuse me that is $100 for a maybeeee mate
Also shout 2 other countries that will let you get scripts like the pill just from a pharmacy instead of clogging up gp’s
Yeh I really go to the GP. See specialists more 🫠 When I go to the GP I always book a long appointment. The out of pocket costs are the same as a standard but you don't feel rushed
$55 gap for a long appointment. I avoid unless urgent and then I'll get renewed prescription refills at those appointments. Specialists are out of the question. If it gets bad enough, the specialists in the hospital can see me.
No bulk billing plus the lets have a checkup in 6 months nightmare
If it's not free, there shouldn't be any restrictions on purchasing medicine. (Prescription)
Guess you don't bulk bill your plumber, electrician or Gardner!
With average GP contractor (ie working in a private clinic) income now pushing AUD 300,000 per year, I think there needs to be a reckoning around the profiteering that's occurring and the expense of overwhelmingly poorer users.
That's absolute horseshit lmao you'd have to be seeing 6 patients an hour or working 12 hour days to make that much as a bulk billing GP, unless you're rural and the majority of your patients are pensioners or concession card holders.
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HA! That's nonsense. Where did you pull this amount from?
I know it's shockingly big income.
It's totally inaccurate.
It’s supply and demand. Why would any doctor with a choice become paid less than half their specialist colleagues for a frankly thankless job. They wouldn’t, which is why we have a shortage of GPs. That shortage drives fees up, because why would any individual GP choose to work in a sausage factory bulk billing practice when they could work somewhere nicer for more money. This isn’t profiteering is basic human nature.
GPs are specialists. I agree there's a strong element of supply and demand.