Gilmore boasts jump in bulk-billing GP practices while number of nearby clinics offering the service drops

There has been a spike in the number of bulk-billing GP clinics in the Gilmore electorate in recent years, according to new data, while the number of centres offering the service in neighbouring electorates continues to dwindle.

A new report by healthcare directory Cleanbill revealed the largest changes in bulk-billing clinics and out-of-pocket costs for patients. Gilmore showed the largest increase of clinics that would bulk bill a new adult patient without concessions for a standard consultation during business hours, jumping from 10.9 per cent in 2022-23 to 23.5 per cent in 2024-25.

“We have a lot of older people and families struggling with the cost of living, so being able to see a bulk-billed GP takes a bit of that pressure off,” Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips said.

“It’s really great that more doctors in Gilmore are bulk billing more patients, more often.”

It was one of few electorates that saw a positive change in the number of clinics, with 86.7 per cent of seats across the country reporting a loss and 15 electorates containing no bulk-billing GP clinics at all.

“The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) said our investment in Medicare was a “game changer” for the past 12 months, and has given GPs the confidence to bulk bill more often, after a decade of cuts and neglect to Medicare,” Ms Phillips said.

According to these figures, Whitlam saw a slight decrease in bulk-billing practices, but 22.5 per cent still offered the service.

The number of clinics in Eden Monaro was 8.9 per cent after previously being 15.8 per cent.

In Cunningham, that figure dropped to just 6.8 per cent of clinics, down from 9.1 per cent two years ago.

But although fewer practices appear to be offering the service in the region, Cunningham MP Alison Byrnes said the number of bulk-billed visits being claimed had increased.

“Since coming to government, we’ve tripled the bulk-billing incentive and made the largest boost to Medicare rebates in decades – increasing rebates by more in two years than the former government did in nine,” Ms Byrnes said.

“Thanks to these changes, from October 2023 to December 2024, official data shows bulk billing in Cunningham increased by 4.5 per cent, meaning there were an additional 63,356 free visits to local GPs.”

Whitlam MP and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones also said his electorate had seen an increase in access.

“Data from the Department of Health and Aged Care shows Whitlam’s access to bulk billing has increased by 5.4 per cent, with an additional 100,000 GP visits between October 2023 and December 2024,” he said.

”This is not job done. Labor will continue to strengthen Medicare and ensure Australians can access bulk-billing services that the Coalition want to wind back.”

The Cleanbill data states that patients in Cunningham are still paying an average of $41.17 out of pocket at non-bulk-billing clinics, with those in Whitlam paying $42.13, Eden Monaro $44.73 and Gilmore averaging $45.81.

“The Albanese Labor Government is building Australia’s future and strengthening Medicare, but we know there’s more to do,” Ms Byrnes said.

“We’re also funding and opening 87 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, including Corrimal and Dapto, so Australians can walk in and get bulk-billed urgent care, seven days a week.”

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics were not included as being bulk-billing clinics as part of the report. However, Cleanbill revealed that access to affordable health services wasn’t just hindered by a lack of bulk billing, with one in four GP clinics not having a website, and of those that do, only about 50 per cent displayed pricing information online.

”Faced with these information barriers, it’s easy to see why over 1.5 million Australians per year delay or forgo care with a GP in their community because of concerns surrounding cost,” the report said.

The report is available through the Cleanbill website.

Original Article published by Keeli Royle on Region Illawarra.