Things that sh*t me the seventeenth

[Off The Couch]

The wholesale abandonment of bulk billing doctors is shitting me. Same practice, been going there for over 10 years, bulk billed up until 18 months ago when they introduced a small surcharge.

Need a script renewed so went to make a telehealth appointment - prices went up 1 Jan, its now $80 for an ordinary consult, $120 for more than 10 minutes, and $80 for a telehealth.

**** off. New doctor time again, and all the shitfulness that entails.

cost my daughter $99 for her 19 month old - no bulk billing for anyone

I don’t blame the GP - the overheads for running a surgery are massive and they need to be able to make a living.

The problem lies with Medicare - it needs a complete overhaul. One of the first things to go should be private health. The money channeled to those charlatans would be much better spent on the public system

 

[Neese]

Having to pay a full consult fee after waiting 45 minutes at the clinic for a simple ongoing script repeat is the biggest pain in the arse and waste of health services imaginable

Agree. I just have to see him once a year in the medical centre for the scripts to be good. He sends them straight to my phone and I am not clogging up the waiting room if I don't need a consult.

 

[Off The Couch]

The practice I attend offers a script only service for $50 - you submit a form and your doctor reviews it and a script is then sent to your phone. There are of course exceptions

This time around though, she just wrote me one for the next 12 months

 

[Pistol Night]

Agree. I just have to see him once a year in the medical centre for the scripts to be good. He sends them straight to my phone and I am not clogging up the waiting room if I don't need a consult.

Thats awesome. You've got a good one there

 

[Neese]

I do and I don't take it for granted.

 

[Gough]

cost my daughter $99 for her 19 month old - no bulk billing for anyone

I don’t blame the GP - the overheads for running a surgery are massive and they need to be able to make a living.

The problem lies with Medicare - it needs a complete overhaul. One of the first things to go should be private health. The money channeled to those charlatans would be much better spent on the public system

It's just terrible economics. An unhealthy workforce that can't afford to see a doctor is a less productive one.

 

[Jatz]

Doctors can't bulk bill anymore. At least in WA but I assumed it was a nation wide issue. My Gran's doctor got in big trouble for continuing to bulk bill because he saw mainly elderly patients.

They can in NSW. It's down to the practice. Most stopped because they weren't making enough money out of it anymore.

We've still got ones around us that do it.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

campaigners who ring a tradie at 915pm about a quote for something that’s not urgent Ring during business hours, I would given him a blast if I answered

But you never answer eh

 

[troybe]

But you never answer eh

Not at 9pm at night

 

[Gralin]

Doctors can't bulk bill anymore. At least in WA but I assumed it was a nation wide issue. My Gran's doctor got in big trouble for continuing to bulk bill because he saw mainly elderly patients.

this seems very weird

docs can still bulk bill here, just most choose not to

bulk billing just means the doc is only charging what they can get back from medicare

a quick google shows it to not be correct either

Bulk billing rates across Australia — and where you're most likely to find a fee-free GP

The rate of bulk billing GP clinics is continuing to decline while patients are paying more out-of-pocket to see doctors, according to a new report.

www.sbs.com.au

they might have got in trouble for how they were dealing with the rebate part of the medicare payment though

legally their are rules around that part


still 6% is pretty close to nobody does it so may as well be zero in practice probably

 

[Gralin]

cost my daughter $99 for her 19 month old - no bulk billing for anyone

I don’t blame the GP - the overheads for running a surgery are massive and they need to be able to make a living.

The problem lies with Medicare - it needs a complete overhaul. One of the first things to go should be private health. The money channeled to those charlatans would be much better spent on the public system

there has also been a lot of issues for people with new borns that there is a big backlog for processing babies onto medicare

so zero coverage for months where you're paying full fees which sounds absolutely horrible

 

[Over The Post]

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Good luck finding anyone that still bulk bills.

Have done, got recommended by an elderly neighbour that has been a long time patient of a particular doc. Who is not accepting new patients.
Breezed in, asked for an appointment, did the "Oh, I'm not in your system? I was here years ago" et voila I have an appointment next week but I have to fill in a new patient form to provide the "missing" details.

 

[Jatz]

That graph explains why I can still get into several bulk billed doctors around me in NSW.