The National Council of Primary Care Doctors has sent out a rare message ahead of the federal election.
A letter co-signed by seven peak GP advocacy bodies is pushing for increased MyMedicare funding, saying the benefits of patient enrolment are yet to be realised.
The National Council of Primary Care Doctors, which is made up of the AMA, RACGP, ACRRM, Rural Doctors Association of Australia, Australian Indigenous Doctors Association, General Practice Supervision Australia and General Practice Registrars Australia, rarely makes public statements.
Ahead of the federal election, though, the group has outlined three priorities; funding for complex care, improved healthcare access for rural and remote Australians and targeted MyMedicare enrolment.
While the first two items may come as no surprise – both the RACGP and the AMA lobbied for increased rebates for long consults, and the funding discrepancy between rural and metro Australians has been well litigated – all groups have been relatively silent on MyMedicare.
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“Having a regular GP is linked to better health outcomes, higher patient satisfaction, reduced hospitalisation and emergency department visits, and improved co-ordination and quality of care,” the joint statement read.
“The current incentives and supports linked to MyMedicare are limited and voluntary patient enrolment benefits are yet to be realised.”
GP groups are not the only ones to have remained mum on the voluntary patient enrolment scheme; there was very little funding or policy specific to MyMedicare announced as part of pre-election pledges, nor did it get a mention in any of the main budget papers.
To be clear, practices looking to receive the new universal bulk billing Practice Incentive Payment will be required to register with MyMedicare, but no new incentives like the rebates for longer telehealth appointments or the aged care incentive have been announced this year.
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The only other mention of MyMedicare identified by The Medical Republic was a provision allowing GP telehealth items to be eligible for MyMedicare registered patients even if they had not seen them face-to-face in more than 12 months.
As it stands, MyMedicare registered patients will have their chronic condition management items linked to their registered practice from July this year. The details are still being finalised.
Last year’s budget also outlined plans for MyMedicare registered patients to have mental health care plans tied to their registered practice from November 2025.
The GP joint statement also made it clear that, in the opinion of the peaks, the current pledges of $8.5 billion toward bulk billing and training from both major parties would not cut the mustard in terms of reforms.
“The increase in the number of general practice training places, salary incentives and access to parental and study leave will make the profession more attractive for doctors to choosing a career in general practice and rural generalism, while improving patient access to primary care,” the joint statement said.
“These measures are in direct response to the advocacy of the NCPCD and its members.
“Extra support for GP supervisors and training practices will be essential if we are to ensure general practice can provide additional training places as part of a high-quality training experience for prevocational trainees and GP registrars.”
