By ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC

 

GP visits will now cost you an arm and a leg as average consultation rates have risen $10 in the past year.

Increased prices have seen locals charged more than $100 for an ordinary non-bulk billed GP appointment.

With the increasing cost of running clinics in 2023, the Australian Medical Association has advised doctors to raise their fees for a standard consultation to $102.

Dr Kingsley Rajasingham has operated Central Gippsland Family Practice in Moe for decades. Dr Kingsley said the current state of our healthcare system was the worst he had experienced in his tenure.

“I think (the healthcare system) is the worst it has been in my medical career,” he said.

“Definitely the cost of running a practice has gone up.

“Obviously the running of a practice has dramatically changed over the years,” Dr Kingsley said, but could be attributed to many medical and technology advances accompanied by inflation that the Medicare rebate does not account for.

“We find the staff salaries go up according to CPI but the Medicare rebate has been frozen for years, and that impacts us and what happens is that we have to take it from the patients,” he said.

GPs are concerned for health outcomes, with rising cost of living pressures having adverse effects on patients.

“The patients are the ones who are affected because as you’d probably already know, the general cost of living has gone up, so the first thing they neglect is their health.”

Mr Kingsley said he was witnessing patients unable to afford doctors visits and medication.

“We are seeing that patients are avoiding that payment and they are either neglecting and waiting for their conditions to get worse or overloading the hospital system,” he said.

The other thing that affects patients coming to GP practices with the increased cost of living is preventative care, which they are neglecting.

“They’re not coming in because of the cost, and that means they could have conditions that they don’t even know, and the preventative measures are affected. In the long term, it’s going to affect the whole healthcare system.”

The GP rate rise also comes after the recent introduction of the very unpopular state government GP tax.

The state government’s new payroll tax for GPs and allied health professionals is to be applied retrospectively, and will substantially increase the cost of seeing a GP, or in some cases, cause clinics to shut their doors permanently.

“It was actually a shock to us because we contract doctors as independent doctors,” Dr Kingsley said.

“The problem is, the payroll tax can be retrospective up to five years. So that means we can all be hit by bills for the last five years.”

The New South Wales and Queensland governments have exempted GPs from the tax, and Dr Kingsley hopes Victoria will do the same.

Just recently, Victoria’s Treasurer, Tim Pallas, pledged he would use his powers to waive fees for doctors in financial strife, leaving many confused over the purpose of the tax.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners is predicting a mass GP clinic closure in Victoria if the tax proceeds, after its poll indicated that more than one third of clinics would consider moving their practice interstate as a result of the health tax.

The state opposition is demanding the GP tax be withdrawn immediately.

According to Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria, Melina Bath, the State Revenue Office has begun contacting the 1500 GP clinics in Victoria demanding pay details dating back 10 years in preparation to apply the tax.

Ms Bath is continuing to condemn the state government’s heath tax stating, “it will negatively impact Victoria’s already struggling heath system on multiple fronts and cause substantially poorer health outcomes for patients.”

“Some clinics will close as they’re unable to absorb Labor’s tax burden, our struggling public hospital emergency departments will become more overrun, patient health will be compromised and Victorians who can see a GP will be paying significantly more,” Ms Bath said.

“The Nationals have serious concerns about the impact of the health tax on regional Victorians, who already struggle with limited access to healthcare.

“Securing an appointment to see a GP outside the tram tracks of Melbourne is already problematic right across Eastern Victoria – Labor health tax will only erect more barriers for my constituents.

“Our GPs and allied health professionals are the backbone of our health system.”

The Medicare rebate is set to rise but only by 20 cents – not enough for the everyday Australian to be safe from the impact from the measures.

There is some respite for people, as the federal government announced it would triple the bulk billing incentive for GPs for vulnerable patients such as welfare recipients, pensioners and children starting this month.

“A lot of the patients who are on a pension or a healthcare card, we feel bad to burden them by putting the cost on top of the Medicare rebate,” Dr Kingsley said.

“This incentive has helped a lot of patients, but the issue is, it’s only for healthcare card holders, pensioners and under 16 (years old).

“Whoever isn’t in that criteria unfortunately will have to pocket it out. If it gets extended to others as well, we might see more patients coming in for their preventative medicine and it just takes the burden to them and us as well.”