Accessibility concerns increase as bulk billing rates in Australia drop, report finds

A new report has found the rate of bulk billing across Australia has dropped drastically within the last year. It's found fewer than one in four GP clinics now bulk bill all of their patients.

Australia's bulk-billing rate in GP clinics is dropping annually. Source: SBS

Key Points

• Bulk billing sees doctors bill Medicare instead of the patient, so there is no out-of-pocket cost for a visit to the doctor.
• A new report by online healthcare directory Cleanbill reveals that the national bulk billing rate for doctors accepting new patients now sits at 24.2 per cent.
• The average out-of-pocket gap people have to pay for a visit to the doctor is almost $42 and the average out-of-pocket costs for a GP visit are highest in New South Wales, ACT and Tasmania.

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