Tasmania is the most expensive place to go to the doctor, according to Cleanbill, as the healthcare directory finds bulk billing rates across Australia are plummeting.
Cleanbill called up all 6,818 GP clinics across the country in a bid to establish just how accessible affordable healthcare is in Australia.
It found that just 0.9% of doctors bulk-billed in the state, the lowest rate in the country. As a result, the average out of pocket cost for an appointment was $51.19.
The steep bill was also an increase of 8.5% on the year before, the largest jump anywhere in Australia. Whereas all states and territories had seen an increase in prices over the past year, only patients in South Australia were still paying less than $40 for an appointment.
Cleanbill founder James Gillespie called the downward trend “catastrophic”.
“Fewer than one in four GP clinics offer bulk billing to all adults through Medicare in 2024, and this number has fallen by over 11 percentage points on a clinic-by-clinic basis in just the last year,” he said in the Blue Report published this week.
“And, at the over 75% of clinics that do not offer bulk billing to adults, patients now face average out-of-pocket costs in excess of $40 almost uniformly across the country.
“In these circumstances, it’s easy to see why over 1.2 million Australians didn’t go to see a GP in 2022-23 because of concerns surrounding cost, twice as many as in 2021-22. This should not be happening.”
The government has responded to the criticism by pointing to its Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs). Such clinics are open seven days a week and are fully bulk billed.
“It’s only early days but Medicare UCCs are already fulfilling their promise of high quality, accessible, walk-in care for thousands of Australians,” Health Minister Mark Butler said in a statement.
“More than 30 per cent of weekday visits are from 5pm, meaning clinics are providing better access to primary health care for patients in need of urgent medical assistance outside of regular business hours.
“The full network of 58 clinics is operating right across the country, with highly qualified doctors and nurses treating local patients and working to reduce overcrowding in emergency departments.”
He said there had been more than 130,000 visits to UCCs since they opened in June last year.
Out of pocket cost by state
- TAS – $51.19
- ACT – $49.39
- NSW – $42.24
- QLD – $41.27
- VIC – $41.19
- WA – $41.06
- NT – $40.98
- SA – $38.68
