Tasmanians Paying More To Visit GP Than National Average, Bulkbilling Limited

Tasmanians are being left nearly $50 out-of-pocket after visiting their GP, while one in 15 GP clinics in the state bulkbill, a new report revealed.

The Blue Report by Cleanbill, released on Sunday, shown Tasmanians on average pay $87.19 for a standard GP consultation before the Medicare rebate.

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Once refunded $39.75 through Medicare, Tasmanians were left $47.44 out of pocket - $7 more than the national average.

And that’s only if patients could make an appointment with a GP, with it found of the 128 clinics across the state, only seven (or 6.9 per cent) bulkbills while 25 clinics are not accepting new patients.

The amount of bulkbilling clinics in Tasmania sets the state well below the national average of 42.7 per cent.

Cleanbill founder James Gillespie told the Mercury the survey showed that in Tasmania bulk billing had become an “exceedingly rare practice”.

“With the current cost of living pressures being faced by all Australians and the broader decline in bulk billing, this is a ground-breaking report,” Mr Gillespie said.

“It’s easy to see why some Tasmanians may struggle to find affordable GPs in their area.

“Tasmania also had the highest rate of GP clinics not accepting new patients; almost one in five clinics surveyed were not taking on new patients, compared to around one in 10 in most other areas surveyed.”

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