The Department of Health has historically provided bulk billing figures on a per-service level basis, but in response to questions taken on notice at a recent Supplementary Estimates hearing, data has been made available regarding how many general practice patients are bulk-billed every year.
Such data shows 64.7% of patients were fully bulk billed for all their GP services during the 2015/16 financial year.
The figures also reveal that 89.2% of patients had at least one bulk-billed visit to a GP. Just over 80% of patients had more than half their visits bulk billed, and that 1.3% of GPs never bulk bill.
The figures equate to bulk billing rates for GP non-referred attendances of 85.1% and refers to the 145 million services provided to 20.9 million patients. The all-time high of 85% Medicare bulk billing rate is used by the government as justification for the continued freeze on the Medicare Benefits Scheme.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) argue that the 85% figure quoted is not truly reflective of Medicare bulk billing rates because it includes items for which most patients pay for out of pocket and that a more accurate measure is the proportion of consults which are bulk billed.
GP visits without non-standard items would equate to a figure of 69%. The RACGP states that two in three patients are bulk-billed for GP visits and one third of Australians are paying an average of $48.69 in out of pocket expenses to see their GP.
After a long-term upward trend the latest official figures show a drop in Medicare bulk billing rates of .5%, falling from 85.9% in the June quarter to 85.4% in the September quarter.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) believes this may indicate GPs are now beginning to abandon bulk-billing and that Australians will pay more to see a doctor as the MBS freeze takes hold.
There is a concern that financially vulnerable patients will delay seeing their GP because of increased out of pocket expenses, which have risen by more than five times the rate of inflation since last financial year.
The proportion of the population accessing GP services has decreased for the first time since 2010 and there are concerns this will put more pressure on hospital Emergency Departments. However, a spokesperson for the department said the proportion of people who paid no out-of-pocket costs for any GP visit had increased by just over half in the last decade.
Answers to all the questions taken on notice at the Supplementary Estimates hearing can be found under the Health Portfolio on the Parliament of Australia website.