Nearly 11 million Australians were slugged out-of-pocket costs for medical services in just one year, a new report has revealed.
Half of Australians are spending a total of $3 billion a year topping up GP fees and other non-hospital costs that are not fully covered by Medicare, a new government report has found.
The report, by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, found 50 per cent of Australians – or 10.9 million people – were incurring “out-of-pocket” expenses when they visited a doctor.
During the year in question, 2016-17, patients on average paid $142 a year topping up Medicare services, but in some areas the average was double that.
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