Greg Hunt declares freeze over on GP Medicare items

Some 187 items will be 'thawed' by 1 July
Jocelyn Wright
Greg Hunt
Minister for Health Greg Hunt. Photo: Steve Christo

The Medicare rebates for GP care plans and health assessments are officially rising next month, for the first time in five years.

Re-elected Minister for Health Greg Hunt has announced the freeze will be lifted for 187 Medicare items for GPs from 1 July, a year earlier than previously scheduled.

The move, which follows pre-election promises from both major parties, means the items will be indexed about 1.6%, the first such rise since July 2014.

The fee for creating a GP management plan (Medicare item 721) will increase $2.30, to $146.55.