Federal health bureaucrats seem to think bulk billing rates will increase. They couldn't be more wrong
Although federal health bureaucrats seem to think bulk billing rates will increase, about 30% of GPs say they will stop all bulk billing soon
In a previous post I explained why. As a result of government policy to freeze patient Medicare rebates, doctors are faced with three options. They can:
1. take an estimated $50,000 pay-cut;
2. see more patients more often;
3. charge more.
Some will choose option 1, because they don’t want to or cannot charge their patients more, and are also unable to work more. The reality is however that most GPs will not be able to afford this option.
Others will go for option 2: they may, for example, see 7-8 patients per hour instead of 4-5. They may decide to work more days and longer hours. The question is of course: how safe is this?
Can doctors continue to offer good care when they are churning through high patient numbers? It will certainly feed the epidemic of burnout, depression and suicide among doctors and medical students.
What the Medicare rebate freeze is all about
Medicare is shaping up to be a major election topic. Still, the freeze on the patient Medicare rebate is a complex topic for many. It was a lot easier to understand when Medicare was called the Health Insurance Commission, but the principle is still the same: Medicare pays a contribution towards the doctor’s fee on behalf of the patient. Many GPs have accepted this contribution as a full payment, which is called bulk billing.
The ‘indexation freeze’ everybody is talking about means that this Medicare contribution will not be increased annually, in line with the increasing cost of living. The shortfall will have to be made up by patients which means that the out-of-pocket expenses will go up as doctors stop bulk billing. The freeze on the patient Medicare rebate was introduced by the Labour government in 2013, and will continue under a Coalition government until 2020 and possible longer. The rebate has not kept up with costs and inflation for a much longer period.
3-tier system
Then there is option 3: doctors will charge more, which will increase out-of-pocket costs for patients. As RACGP president Dr Frank Jones mentioned in this interview, we may see a 3-tier system in Australia soon:
“Dr Jones warned poorest patients would feel the impact of the freeze hardest, while there was a risk doctors would churn through appointments more quickly.
He predicted it would lead to a three-tier billing system: doctors would bulk bill their most disadvantaged patients, charge other health care cardholders a concessional rate, and private patients would be charged the Australian Medical Association’s recommended fee.”
In 2015 the RACGP surveyed GPs on how they planned to manage the patient rebate freeze. Of the 566 members who responded, the majority (57%) said they would have to increase out-of-pocket costs for patients.
GPs said they would have to do this either because the practice would stop bulk billing and begin charging a gap or co-payment (30%), or the practice would increase out-of-pocket costs for non-concessional cardholders (27%). Only 8% indicated that they would not increase out-of- pocket costs for their patients.
How fees will go up
It is to be expected that many practices will start cost-cutting: staff levels may be minimised and investments in new equipment, training & education, IT or buildings may become a lower priority. This is a risk for the quality of care.
Practices will determine a fair and equitable fee based on their increasing practice costs, professional time and services. The RACGP and AMA support GPs to set fees that accurately reflect the value of the services they offer, such as the recommended fees in the Australian Medical Association’s List of Medical Services and Fees.
Practices will review their patient demographics and billing profile and optimise the utilisation of MBS items. Pensioners and/or health care card holders may be charged an extra fee which will be much higher than the bulk billing incentive of $9.25.
Practices may decide that certain services will attract fees, for example dressings and other consumables, treating doctor’s reports, off-work/off-school certificates, phone/video consultations, data entry or certain surgical procedures.
Updating practice management software to streamline Medicare claims and EFTPOS payments may be required in some cases. Expect notices to go up in surgeries across the country to tell patients about the changes in billing policies. Unfortunately there will be practices that will have to close their doors.
What can you do?
Join the ‘You’ve been targeted’ campaign which aims to lift the freeze on your Medicare rebates. Go to the website of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP): yourgp.racgp.org.au/targeted to access campaign materials including a template letter you can send to your local political candidates demanding the freeze be lifted. Please contribute to the discussion on social media using the hashtag #youvebeentargeted.
Dr Edwin Kruys is a Queensland GP. This blog was first published on Doctor’s Bag.
