Should we aim to collectively bill everyone for GP visits? We asked 5 experts

New report by a GP listing company made headlines show this week low collective payment rates for GP visits throughout Australia.

Collective settlements means that the consultation is free to the patient and the GP accepts what Medicare covers (the “benefit” or “rebate”) as the full fee.

The highest bulk billing rate reported was in Recent South Wales (34.5%) and lowest in the ACT (3.3%) and Tasmania (0%). This caused Tasmania’s health minister declare bulk invoicing “dead” in her condition.

But does this really mean that GPs don’t charge Tasmanians a lot?

No – as Federal Health Minister Mark Butler as attention was quickly drawn to after the report was publishedthe company only asked 6,925 GP practices whether they offer standard weekday consultations, which can be billed in bulk for adults without discounts.

A number of people actually have concessions – children under 16, retirees and those with a health care card – which means the actual rate for bulk tickets is much higher, although Butler said he would like that be even higher.

How high should we aim? Many Australians may assume that universal healthcare means that visiting a GP should be free, regardless of age, income or postcode.

So we asked five experts: should we pursue mass billing for everyone?

Four out of five answered yes.

Here are their detailed answers.