The cost of living is making life difficult for local families. They’re feeling it at the supermarket checkout, at the bowser, in higher rents and mortgage repayments and in their energy bills.
But one issue I am consistently hearing right across our community is the cost of accessing healthcare and visiting the GP.
Despite the electorate of Casey spanning over 2,400sqm, we don’t have a single hospital emergency department within our boundaries. For residents in the Upper Yara, Dandenong Ranges and remote areas of the Yarra Valley, the distance to healthcare is a major concern.
To make things more difficult, it’s getting harder and harder to see your local GP.
Our community has one of the lowest numbers of bulk billing clinics in Australia, with just four of the 34 local clinics now offering bulk billing.
Since Labor came to government, bulk billing rates have dropped consecutively every single month. The latest data reveals bulk billing rates are at their lowest since 2013, with local residents out-of-pocket an average of $40.10 for every visit to the GP.
This out-of-pocket cost is sadly expected to rise, with the state Andrews Labor Government recently introducing yet another tax.
This time, a tax requiring independent GP’s to pay payroll tax, which will inevitably see costs passed on to patients who are already struggling to pay the bills, let alone cough up enough for an unexpected GP appointment.
It’s been estimated GP’s will have to hike prices up by a further $15 to $20 to cover the new state tax, taking the total out of pocket cost to around $60.
With costs increasing and bulk billing rates falling, this is a worrying double hit for patients.
The Albanese Labor Government was elected on a promise to ‘strengthen Medicare’, yet all of the data is pointing in the opposite direction.
They’ve reduced Medicare-subsidised mental health sessions from 20 to just 10. Less than half their promised urgent care clinics are operational and 70 telehealth items have been cut from Medicare.
I’m deeply concerned that these decisions will leave many people unable to access the healthcare they need. It’s time Australians looked at Labor’s actions, not their words.
I’m proud that a Coalition government is committed to restoring the full 20 Medicare-subsidised mental health sessions. I’ll continue fighting for affordable access to healthcare for all Australians.
