Good morning. Calls are being made to increase Medicare rebates after a survey revealed more than one in five GPs had switched away from bulk billing. And the gold medal-winning cricket captain, Meg Lanning, is taking a break from the sport.
Doctors are increasingly scrapping bulk billing, according to a survey of almost 500 GPs, with stalling Medicare rebates and the costs of running a practice cited as key reasons. One practice making the switch sent a message to patients saying: “All patients, even those with a pension or health care card, will be required to pay a fee for their consultation.” Yesterday the Guardian revealed that the new federal health minister, Mark Butler, had dismissed Coalition election claims that bulk billing had hit 88%. If you’ve had problems finding affordable healthcare or bulk-billing GPs, the Guardian wants to hear from you.
