MARK DREYFUS KC MP
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
More free visits in Isaacs with more bulk billing
More residents in Isaacs will get free visits to the GP if the Albanese Labor Government is re-elected, with an additional 158,900 bulk billed visits and a boost to the number of fully bulk billing GP practices to around 25 clinics - nearly triple the current number of fully bulk billed clinics in our local area.
Across Victoria there will be an additional 4.9 million bulk billed GP visits, saving locals hundreds of dollars a year.
A retiree couple in Isaacs with typical GP service usage may save up to $425 a year in out-of-pocket costs.
An older family, with two parents in their 50s and two young adult children in their late teens or early 20s, may save up to $370 a year.
For a younger family, with two parents in their 30s and two children under five years old, typical savings could be up to $220 a year.
More patient case studies are available on the health.gov.au website.
From 1 November, Labor will expand bulk billing incentives to all Australians and create an additional new incentive payment for practices that bulk bill every patient, with an additional 12.5% loading payment on their Medicare rebates.
This will mean 9 out of 10 GP visits will be bulk billed by 2030, boosting the number of fully bulk billed practices to around 4,800 nationally – triple the current number.
GP practices in Isaacs will get more support to bulk bill, with around 25 practices in the electorate of Isaacs in a better financial position if they adopt full bulk billing.
The $8.5 billion investment from the Albanese Labor Government is the single largest investment in Medicare since its creation over 40 years ago, and it will deliver an additional 18 million bulk billed GP visits nationally.
Labor’s record investment restores the $8.3 billion the Australian Medical Association says was cut from Medicare through the funding freeze initiated by Peter Dutton a decade ago.
Quotes attributable to Health Minister Mark Butler:
“Australia's doctors voted Peter Dutton the worst Health Minister in Medicare history for a reason.
“The Liberals promised there'd be ‘no cuts to health’ last time and within a few months, Peter Dutton, as Health Minister, tried to cut $50 billion out of public hospitals and abolish bulk billing altogether.”
“Then Peter Dutton started a six-year freeze to Medicare rebates that froze GP incomes and stripped billions out of Medicare.”
“Peter Dutton's record on Medicare isn't just scary, it's bloody terrifying. Why would you trust the person who created this mess in the first place to clean it up?”
Quotes attributable to Mark Dreyfus KC MP, Member for Isaacs:
“Under Labor, Medicare will always be there for you, and I need your support at this election to make sure Medicare is protected and made stronger so everyone in my electorate of Isaacs receives the world's best health care. That’s what you deserve.
“Labor created Medicare for all Australians, and we've been working hard since coming to government in 2022 to turn things around - lifting bulk billing rates and increasing investment in public hospitals.
“If the Albanese Labor Government is re-elected there will be more free GP visits with more bulk billing in Isaacs because of our historic investment in Medicare.
“25 practices in Isaacs will get support to go fully bulk billed, getting more in Medicare payments than they lose in charging patients out-of-pockets.
“At this election, the people in my electorate of Isaacs face a choice: stronger Medicare with more bulk billing for all Australians under Labor or more cuts to Medicare under Peter Dutton's Liberals.”
FRIDAY, 7 MARCH 2025
