TOPIC:

Time for a restock of the whole health system, Medicare is a utter shambles, bulk billing rates are tanking, public hospitals are struggling, people in the private system are being taken to the cleaners on insurance price hikes, must be a better way of doing it.

As Mark and Elbows are saying, Labour is the salvation of Australia.

Bazza wrote:

Time for a restock of the whole health system, Medicare is a utter shambles, bulk billing rates are tanking, public hospitals are struggling, people in the private system are being taken to the cleaners on insurance price hikes, must be a better way of doing it.

Yep got a text from my GP clinic the other day saying they are going from bulk billing to mixed. Only 16 and under and those on concession card will qualify for bulk billing. When I saw the quack the other day I asked her what the gap will be she said they hadn't decided yet but she thought probably between $20 and $30. She said since she's been a doctor in Australia 10 years Medicare payment for bulk billing has only gone up $2.79. 

That's pretty pathetic knowing their costs have risen by considerably more over that time not to mention cost of living. Seems like they treat doctors like the unemployed and pensioners when it comes to increasing payments inline with inflation.

Mine hasn't bulk billed in years, 80 buck consult with a rebate of 30 odd bucks.

Thats the reason why so many ER's are being clogged up with non emergency cases as they cant afford to go to a GP. Either the bulk billing rebate is increased or they start charging non emergency cases at ER's.

My GP will bulk bill for a follow up consult on the same issue, which is reasonable given it's normally a much shorter consult.