It has never been harder or more expensive to see a doctor than under the Albanese Labor Government, as the data continues to point to a primary care system at crisis point.
It was reported in the Guardian on Thursday that Australians have lost access to more than 400 dedicated bulkbilling GP clinics over the past 12 months.
The number of Australians accessing bulk billed GP appointments is currently at the lowest level in a decade, and now this sobering new statistic makes it clear that access is only getting worse.
The Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator Anne Ruston, said that affordable healthcare has never been more important than during the current cost-of-living crisis, but bulk billing is still collapsing despite all the taxpayer funds the Government has thrown at it.
“Once again, the Government clearly prioritised headlines with their bulk billing incentive measure, instead of delivering real and practical solutions like addressing the current workforce crisis.
“We know that 1.2 million Australians avoided seeing a doctor last year due to cost, as they were forced to choose between putting food on the table and paying their bills or visiting their GP.
“Mark Butler is misleading Australians about the Government’s success on affordable healthcare, but the statistics tell the real story,” Senator Ruston said.
Right now, the GP bulk billing rate right now under Labor is 77.7% - This compares to 84% under Peter Dutton as Health Minister and 88.5% when the Coalition left office.
Australians cannot afford for the Government’s inaction on this crisis to continue. Not only is it pushing up out-of-pocket costs for struggling households, but a weakened primary care system will also place additional pressure on already over-burdened hospitals.