We pay more for the doctor

this came as surprise to me and i googled it, came accross this interesting piece:

Medicare bulk-billing rates increase again in Fraser
http://www.troy-williams.com/media/070410-TroyWilliams.htm

all very confusing

Further to that – those less well off should still be able to see a normal family GP who knows their medical history, and can bulk bill them. IN Canberra, even with a health care card, I believe you are still pretty much restricted to sitting around in a ‘medical centre’ to see whichever dr, if you want to be bulk billed.

Why should bulk billing be only for the destitute in Canberra, and for everyone in most other major cities?

“The solution is easy: the Government needs to pay the GPs for their time.”

…or, the patient could take some personal responsibility and pay the GP. I’m sick of subsidising people dont pay their own way.

Bulk billing should be for the minority who have major health issues and can’t afford medical care otherwise.

The solution is easy: the Government needs to pay the GPs for their time. The Medicare reimbursement is not a king’s ransom, particularly in Canberra where we have one GP per thousand person.

The medical centres do bulk bill.

What Canberra is lacking is ‘family dr’ type GPs where you see the same dr, and can make an appt. almost none of them will bulk bill, even for babies.

The above probably makes no sense unless you know Philip don’t take bookings, it’s walk in and wait.

People have discovered the Philip one, used to be a 45 min wait, now it’s 2 hours min. I got there at 9:30am and there were 45 people ahead of me. The receptionist said people were queuing up when she got there. To be honest, I’d rather pay a $30 gap than wait for 2 -3 hours.

The new medical centres in Philip and Belconnen bulk bill. There’s also a couple in Dickson (Dr Smee?) and I’m pretty sure the fellow in Curtin does (or at least did several years ago).

IN Adelaide all kids under 12 are bulk billed.

As you say – in Canberra there is no such thing as a dr that bulk bills. If we were some remote area we’d be getting assitancem, but as Johhny H hates Canberra, we are stuck wth 3rd rate GP services.

Ah, perhaps the Commonwealth might do the nation a favour and increase the rates that Medicare pays doctors for patient consultations?

10 – 15 years ago it was strange if a doctor didn’t bulk bill; nowadays it’s a miracle to find a doctor who does bulk bill.

But that would leave Johnny with less money in the kitty to buy votes with middle class welfare. And anyway, Johnny wants essential services to be user pays, like his dreamland America.

God bless America. God bless John Howard.

The answer is obvious – reduce our income. Which is exactly what the ACT government is trying to do with its current policies on taxes, rates, fees and penalties.

It is also because we have the lowest number of GPs per capita in the country.

Jon Stanhope did apply to John Howard for the ACT to be declared an area of need, but JH ignored the request.