The huge boost to Medicare and bulk billing pledged today by the Albanese Labor Government is a major win for South Australian patients and hospitals.
The $8.5 billion commitment will deliver cheaper GP visits for patients, with a 90 per cent bulk billing rate promised by 2030.
This will make it easier and more affordable for South Australians to see a GP, reducing pressure on our hospital system.
South Australians have been finding it increasingly difficult to get into a GP and this has been having an impact on not only their health but our hospitals.
When people can't afford a GP, or can't get an appointment, they get sicker and end up in our hospitals.
The Productivity Commission's Report on Government Services 2024, released earlier this month, reported that the percentage of people who have delayed or did not see a GP due to cost more than doubled in SA (2.4% in 2020-21 vs 7.3% in 2023-24) – the highest in a decade.
Under this historic pledge by the Albanese Labor Government, bulk billing incentives will be expanded to all patients by the end of this year and an additional new incentive payment will be created for practices that bulk bill every patient.
The Albanese Government has also pledged to deliver more doctors and nurses into Medicare, with 400 nursing scholarships and the largest GP training program in Australian history, funding the training of 2,000 new GP trainees a year by 2028.
Meanwhile, the Malinauskas Labor Government is delivering 600 extra hospital beds across our health system.
In our first two years, we recruited more than 1,400 extra health workers above attrition, including 691 nurses, 329 doctors, 219 ambos and 193 allied health workers.
As put by Chris Picton
This historic announcement by the Albanese Labor Government is a massive win for South Australian patients and our hospital system.
After a decade of cuts, neglect, and inaction from successive federal Liberal governments, South Australia welcomes this significant investment pledged by the Albanese Labor Government to improve primary care.
I congratulate Federal Health Minister Mark Butler on crafting this momentous primary care investment package. It shows his deep commitment to helping patients around the nation access a GP when they need to, and also his understanding of the impact a lack of GP care has on our hospitals.
The primary health care crisis has led to growing numbers of patients ending up in hospitals, who could have been treated by a GP.
But it's not just people going to hospital for more minor ailments because they can't get into a GP. When people are sick and they can't access a GP for treatment or to manage chronic conditions they often get sicker and then end up in hospital. And because they are sicker, they often require longer stays in hospital, which further increases demand on the system.
Expanding bulk billing and making GPs more affordable for every South Australian means that patients will get the important primary care that they need to keep them well and out of our hospitals.
