Bulk billing
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report, Medicare bulk billing of GP attendances: monthly data (AIHW 2026) examines trends in the general practitioner (GP) bulk billing rate between 1984 and January 2026. The financial cost of a GP visit has been identified as a potential barrier to Australians seeing a GP (ABS 2025). Other factors include service availability and waiting times.
Between 1984 and 2025:
- GP bulk billing rates went from 51% at the start of Medicare in 1984, to a peak of 89% in 2020 and 2021. Rates decreased to 79% in 2025.
- Since 2006, the annual GP bulk billing rate for people living in the lowest socioeconomic areas has been higher than for people living in the highest socioeconomic areas.
References
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2025) Patient Experiences, ABS, Australian Government, accessed 5 January 2026.
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2026) Medicare bulk billing of GP attendances: monthly data, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 24 February 2026.