In the month before the bulk billing incentive was tripled on November 1, 2023, 94.6% of all GP visits were bulk billed in Greenway.
Over the next five months the bulk billing rate increased by 0.5 percentage points to 95.1% in March.
This means an estimated 1,615 additional trips to the GP were bulk billed in Greenway in the five months to March.
Residents are also seeing savings thanks to the Albanese Government’s commitment to delivering cheaper medicines, following the largest reduction in the PBS co-payment in the history of the PBS and the introduction of 60-day scripts.
Residents in Greenway have saved $2,527,088 on 213,325 cheaper scripts since January 2023.
The Albanese Government’s $6.1B investment in strengthening Medicare, including the largest investment in bulk billing in Medicare’s 40-year history, has given GPs the confidence to build sustainable businesses, particularly in regional and rural Australia, where Medicare payments for a standard bulk billed GP visit have increased by 50%.
Bulk billing had been falling after a decade of cuts and neglect to Medicare by the former Government that began when Peter Dutton froze Medicare rebates as Health Minister.
Minister Rowland said: “People in North-West Sydney know that after a decade of cuts and neglect from Peter Dutton and the Liberals, it was increasingly hard to find a bulk billing doctor.
“Now, thanks to the Albanese Government there is more bulk billing in Greenway. This is delivering significant cost of living relief for people in North-West Sydney.”
Minister Butler said: “Doctors’ groups have called our tripling of the bulk billing incentive a ‘game changer’ – and clearly it is in Greenway.
“The Albanese Government’s $6.1B investment in Strengthening Medicare is making it easier to see a doctor for free, fully bulk billed.
“Every extra bulk billed visit to a GP means one less gap fee, taking pressure off household budgets. This is a win all round – for patients, doctors and the health system – and it is helping make Medicare stronger.”
