I know everyone is focusing on the new changes to medicare but I want to point out something more insidious. The freeze on the medicare rebates for GPs. This is the single biggest erosion of Medicare there is.
What does this mean? The amount Medicare rebates for your visit to the GP is about $37. Usually this price is indexed (rises a small amount in line with wage levels) every year. Until it was 'temporarily' frozen in 2013.
Other specialties item numbers have continued to be indexed (please remember that GP is now a specialty too with it's own training program, I'm aware it didn't use to be) but not GPs. So they are running practices on 2021 costs but being 2013/14 wages.
What does this mean for you? It means the 'gap' fee you pay gets bigger. It means bulk-billing practices are forced to do 'revolving door' medicine where they only survive if they churn people through quickly in a rapid and uncaring way, while underpaying those who work there.
How did this happen without you noticing? By devaluing GPs. By allowing the perception of them to be 'script dispensers' or people who 'just see coughs and colds' when that is a fiftieth of what they do. And by deliberately using complex language when talking about their wages
But we can't 'afford' paying GPs more can we?
If we can spend $90 million paying private contractors to lock up four people, I'd argue that we can absolutely afford that, we just don't want to pay for that when that money can be funnelled to our private contractor friends.
If we can spend $90 million paying private contractors to lock up four people, I'd argue that we can absolutely afford that, we just don't want to pay for that when that money can be funnelled to our private contractor friends.
Don't fall for the bait and switch. When graphs are shown showing higher bulk billing rates, what you're seeing is higher exploitation rates. Are doctors greedy for 'wanting more?' No. Because this isn't a payrise, it's a pay correction to 2021 rates, not 2013.
But the Medicare amount seems like a lot of money per patient! Lets say that a GP charges $80 for a visit, with Medicare paying $37 of that amount (the rest being 'the gap'. You're out roughly $40.
Of that $80, the practice takes 40% for running costs. The GP then needs to take 30% for tax, then another 9% if they want superannuation (which they do!). So they see 21% of that $80. Or about 17 bucks. That's for a NON-bulk billing GP.
For a bulk-billing only GP, it's about $8 per patient-take home. So a bulk billing GP needs to see twice as many patients per hour to take home the same money. You can see how the quality might drop. And since they're sole-traders: no sick leave, no annual leave etc.
Add in deregulation of the industry meaning non-medical business owners can now hoover up practices into super clinics and exploit their workers more, you can see how this further erodes bloody good GP services.
TLDR; Government froze indexation of GP Medicare wages in 2013. GPs now must see twice as many /hour if they want to bulk bill only. Your care deteriorates. GPs also get no annual leave or sick leave, and wage stuck at 2013 level.
YOU wind up paying more, and get sicker.
YOU wind up paying more, and get sicker.
(I'm not a GP so very happy to be corrected if I've gotten this wrong). Good explanation here:
theconversation.com/what-is-the-me…
theconversation.com/what-is-the-me…
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
