New incentives for GPs to bulk-bill patients began on Wednesday, which Hunter federal MPs said would reduce pressure on doctors by increasing the amount they received for Medicare services.
The MPs said it was the "largest investment in bulk-billing in the 40-year history of Medicare", which should make it "easier" for children and seniors in the Hunter to see a bulk-billed GP.
Peak GP and medical groups welcomed the change as a "starting point", but said there was "a long way to go in strengthening Medicare".
The government has tripled the incentives paid to doctors who bulk-bill patients aged under 16, pensioners and concession card holders.
Shortland MP Pat Conroy said "people shouldn't be forced to choose between buying groceries or seeing their GP".
Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon said the Albanese government was "taking action to help ease cost of living pressures for Novocastrians".
Paterson MP Meryl Swanson said the government was "opening pathways for people to access good quality healthcare ... without the worry of inflated costs".
Hunter MP Dan Repacholi said: "Healthcare should be accessible to everyone regardless of their income".
The bulk-billing incentives were announced in the May budget. The government has also restored hours at the Hunter's GP Access After Hours clinics and opened a bulk-billing Medicare Urgent Care Clinic at Cessnock.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners [RACGP] president Dr Nicole Higgins said there was "a long way to go in strengthening Medicare, but this is an important first step and a major investment for families and our most vulnerable patients".
Australian Medical Association president Professor Steve Robson welcomed the incentives, saying they were a "starting point for improving the sustainability of general practice".
"But we know more work can be done. We will continue working with the government on developing new programs and initiatives that strengthen primary care and ensure GP-led care is affordable and accessible for all patients," he said.
A government map shows GPs in Newcastle, most of Lake Macquarie and parts of Maitland will get the lowest bulk-billing incentives because they are considered metropolitan areas. The incentives for GPs in metropolitan areas will rise from $6.60 to $20.65 per consultation.
In other areas of the Hunter, the incentives will rise from $10.65 to $33.35 and $11.35 to $35.40, depending on the level of remoteness.
The Hunter General Practitioners Association said in May that these increases wouldn't be enough to fix the bulk-billing crisis because they wouldn't cover the out-of-pocket gap that patients pay.
Dr Higgins said bulk billing "declined significantly because Medicare rebates have been below inflation for years and are nowhere near the cost of care".
"GPs have been subsidising the full cost of care every time they bulk bill their patients," Dr Higgins said.
The government has also increased Medicare rebates for a standard consultation from $39.75 to $41.40, but the full cost of a consultation in the Hunter can range from about $70 to $90.
This means out-of-pocket costs to see a GP can be $30 to $50.
