Doctors hail $5.7 billion ‘game-changer’ for patients and GPs

THE Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has welcomed the Federal Budget as a game changer for GPs, practice teams and the patients they care for across Australia.

RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said the Budget is a win for patients.

“Every patient deserves access to high-quality, affordable and accessible general practice care, irrespective of their postcode or income,” she said.

“I commend the Albanese Government for committing to this massive investment in general practice care. We know the problems impacting our health system can’t all be fixed in one go, but tonight’s Budget includes a groundbreaking investment in the health of all Australians by strengthening general practice care. The Government has shown real commitment to strengthening Medicare and rebuilding general practice care for all patients.”

Dr Higgins said the $5.7 billion funding package in the 2023-24 Budget responds to calls made by the RACGP.

“This $5.7 billion funding package puts patients first,” she said.

“It will help to stem the bleeding, relieve pressure on our entire healthcare system including our hospitals, and ease pressures on people struggling to afford the care they need. I am delighted the Government has listened and responded to the RACGP’s calls to support our GPs, practice teams and the patients we care for so that everyone can access a strong primary care system.

“The $5.7 billion funding package triples the bulk-billing incentive, hikes Medicare rebates twice this year, and boosts the Workforce Incentive Payment. It also includes funds for a new Medicare item for longer consultations lasting more than 60 minutes. This will make a real difference for all Australians and is what the RACGP has been working with Government to secure for a long time.

“Hiking Medicare rebates this year in July and again in November is a good first step in reducing out-of-pocket costs for patients across the country at a time when it’s most needed given increasing cost of living pressures. Tripling the bulk billing incentive will help to increase access to care for those Australians who need it most and arrest the decline in bulk-billing. The new Medicare item, Level E, for consultations over 60-minutes, will improve access to care for patients with complex needs, such as those with chronic conditions and mental health issues.

“The substantial increase in the Workforce Incentive Program, or WIP, is a positive step to enable general practice to grow existing multidisciplinary care teams within general practice. This is essential support for GPs caring for people with complex chronic disease.”

Dr Higgins also said that boosting telehealth services was just what the doctor ordered.

“It’s fantastic news that the Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler has listened carefully to the RACGP’s calls and reinstated Medicare patient rebates for longer phone consultations as a permanent fixture of the nation’s telehealth system,” she said.

Dr Higgins said the RACGP will continue to work with the Government on longer-term reforms to strengthen Medicare and rebuild general practice care for patients.

“Tonight’s Budget is the result of strong advocacy by the RACGP on behalf of our members and their patients,” she said.

“We will continue to work with the Government on these critical reforms to strengthen Medicare and rebuild general practice care for Australian patients.”

This year’s Budget includes:

• $5.7 billion funding package boosting Medicare for all Australians
• a 30% increase in the Workforce Incentive Program to enable practices to grow multidisciplinary care teams within general practice
• reinstating Medicare rebates for longer telehealth phone consultations
• tripling the bulk-billing incentive and $100 million for a new Medicare item Level E for consultations lasting more than 60-minutes.

But the Nationals’ leader David Littleproud has accused the government of doing nothing to address the chronic lack of access to health services in regional areas

He said health access in the regions had been neglected through Labor’s failure to invest in bespoke initiatives to deal with shortages in medical professionals.

“Labor’s changes to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), allowing 60-day dispensing instead of 30, also risks unintended consequences, such as rural medicine supply shortages and country pharmacists being forced to shut down.”

Regional areas struggle to get access to GPs, he said, but Labor is committing just $4.5 million over five years to train rural GPs through its Single Employer Model trials.

“Labor is throwing crumbs at increasing access to GPs for rural families.”

Vice President of RACGP, Dr Bruce Willett was asked if the budget allocations would make a difference to the doctor shortage in regional areas.

"It's a start," he said.

"But it's going to be difficult to turn around decades of neglect in one budget."

He said the bulk billing package was "loaded to rural practitioners" but that it would "take time to put more feet on the ground in rural areas".