Tripled bulk-billing incentives ‘great for GP morale’
The budget was praised by the AMA and the RACGP.
Last night’s federal budget received an unusually warm welcome from GP groups, with the RACGP declaring it a “gamechanger” for general practice.
The headline was $3.5 billion in funding, spread over five years, to triple the bulk-billing incentives for children, pensioners and other concession card holders.
There was also $20 million annually to support a new Medicare item for consultations lasting 60 minutes or longer, something the RACGP has wanted for years.
But with the Federal Government warning of a precarious fiscal situation, RACGP vice-president Dr Bruce Willett admitted he “thought we would be struggling to get anything”.
