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Bulk billing is a payment option under the Medicare system of universal health insurance in Australia. It can cover a prescribed range of health services as listed in the Medicare Benefits Schedule, at the discretion of the health service provider. [ 1 ]
Most providers will only bulk bill concessional patients (people with concession cards, or aged 16 years or under), although some will bulk bill all eligible services for all eligible patients. The government pays an additional subsidy, called the Bulk Billing Incentive Payment, to providers when they bulk bill services for concessional patients.
The Health Insurance Act of 1973 (Cth) was an Act of the Parliament of Australia, passed by the Labor Whitlam government, which introduced the Commonwealth of Australia's first universal healthcare scheme: Medicare (Australia).
Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that out-of-pocket payments increased four-and-a-half times faster than government funding in 2014–15. [62] This has led to large numbers of patients skipping treatment or medicine. [63] Australian out-of-pocket health expenses are the third highest in the developed world. [62] [1]
Allied Medical Group employs approximately 250 general practitioners, [7] and runs seventeen "Superclinics" in Victoria, three in Queensland, and one in South Australia. [46] The clinics offer extended opening hours and bulk-billing for patients to Medicare for most services, so that the patient incurs no direct cost. [47]
The Commission also recommended changes to the bulk billing arrangements under Medicare, by the introduction of a compulsory copayment regime. The recommendation was accepted by the Abbott government in the 2014 Australian federal budget , though the proposed budget measure deviated from the committee's recommendation in the copayment being ...
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A controversial $7 co-payment to see a bulk billing doctor, receive x-rays and get a blood test was proposed to save $3.4 billion over five years, however $5 of it will go toward medical research. [45] All 61 Medicare Locals—organisations established to plan and fund extra health services—are going to close. [7]