rki.news | Source: Xinhua
CANBERRA, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) – More than 4,000 Australian general practitioner (GP) clinics now offer free Medicare consultations, up from 2,300 a year ago, the government announced Sunday.
Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler said 50 percent of practices now exclusively bulk bill, compared with 30 percent last year. Doctors bill Medicare directly, leaving patients with no out-of-pocket costs.
The increase follows the government’s Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program, which provides higher rebates to clinics where all doctors offer free consultations.
More than 97 percent of Australians live within a 20-minute drive of a fully bulk-billing GP clinic.
The share of such practices doubled this year in South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.
The Northern Territory recorded the highest rate at 80 percent, followed by New South Wales at 58 percent and Victoria at 55 percent. The ACT had the lowest rate at 21 percent.
Fully bulk-billing practices reached 59 percent in rural areas and 77 percent in remote areas.
Butler said the expansion was helping Australians save hundreds of dollars in medical expenses.
Australia Expands Free GP Consultations to Over 4,000 Clinics
