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Imagine a world where you could easily find a local, bulk-billing GP. Imagine Medicare paying that GP enough for bulk billing to be worth their while. Imagine Australia doing all this and staying within budget.
It sounds like a pipe dream. But it is possible, according to new research.
When a GP doesn’t bulk bill, patients’ out-of-pocket costs can be astronomical. In Melbourne, for example, out-of-pocket costs range from $30 to $56, depending on the suburb. But outside metropolitan areas, out-of-pocket costs can be as high as $79 on the mainland, and $123 on Lord Howe Island.
So it’s easy to see why so many Australians skip seeing their GP during a cost of living crisis.
How much would bulk-billing all GP visits cost the government? Researchers from the University of Melbourne say it’s around $700 million a year if you’re just talking about bulk-billing in-person GP visits.
So if Australia can afford to bulk-bill all GP visits, why aren’t we doing it? And what else could we do to make sure the people who really need to see their GP can get an appointment? Health economists Yuting Zhang and Karinna Saxby explain.
Also today, US-watcher Emma Shortis, an adjunct senior fellow at RMIT, reflects on what the Trump conviction tells us about division in America. “The reality of American politics today is not a simple question of polarisation that can somehow be reversed,” she writes. “Rather, the stark division between the two camps – and their world views – is, for the moment at least, irreconcilable.”
Meanwhile, we are 40% of the way to our donations campaign target. If you have already given, thank you so much for helping to support our journalism. If you would like to do so, there is just under a month left to make a tax-deductible donation.
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Anna Evangeli
Deputy Health Editor
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Yuting Zhang, The University of Melbourne; Karinna Saxby, The University of Melbourne
The aim is to make health care affordable and sustainable. Our new research shows how.
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Emma Shortis, RMIT University
The stark reality is the United States has never been one country. And Trump is better than anyone at exploiting that.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Friday’s draft redistribution of Victorian federal electoral boundaries have opened a possible path for former treasurer Josh Frydenberg to make a comeback.
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Brendan Coates, Grattan Institute; Natasha Bradshaw, Grattan Institute; Trent Wiltshire, Grattan Institute
Simple changes to Australia’s skilled migration points test could boost visa-holders’ earnings, government budgets and Australia’s productivity.
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Sara Dehm, University of Technology Sydney
High Court decisions, government announcements and opposition speeches have all discussed migration. It’s become a heated, sometimes panicked conversation.
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Liz Hanna, Australian National University
A record-breaking heatwave hit Delhi this week, hot on the heels of heat in Asia and Africa. Australians take note, we are not safe here. We need to prepare for heat to hit us just as hard.
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Bhaso Ndzendze, University of Johannesburg
The country will see more foreign policy continuity if the ANC partners with smaller parties that share its world view.
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Sara Oscar, University of Technology Sydney; Cherine Fahd, University of Technology Sydney
The All Eyes on Rafah image has been criticised as being overly sanitised. How does it compare to other war images? And where is the line between performative solidarity and moral responsibility?
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Frank Jotzo, Australian National University; Llewelyn Hughes, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University; Rebecca Colvin, Australian National University
The Net Zero Economy Authority will have a broad remit to support the net zero transition. Here are some pointers on how it could go about it, based on an assessment of best practice
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Arvid O. I. Hoffmann, University of Adelaide; Chee Seng Cheong, University of Adelaide; Ralf Zurbruegg, University of Adelaide
In the US states that have made it hard to sue directors, firms are 30% less likely to recall faulty products.
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Melanie Davern, RMIT University; Afshin Jafari, RMIT University; Alan Both, RMIT University; Jago Dodson, RMIT University; Lucy Gunn, RMIT University; Qian (Chayn) Sun, RMIT University
We want healthy, liveable cities and to cut emissions to net zero. Getting more people to use bicycles instead of cars will go a long way towards achieving these goals.
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Jane Gleeson-White, UNSW Sydney
Rachel Cusk’s twelfth novel is strange, compelling and ferociously intelligent. It explores artists, mothers and daughters, and the ‘blankness of spirituality’ on the other side of gender.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
In Labor circles there is increasing an expectation a reshuffle as parliamentary sitting have become tenuous with intense focus on Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.
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Bruce Chen, Deakin University; Julie Debeljak, Monash University; Pamela Tate, Monash University
A long-awaited report has recommended Australia introduce a human rights act. Such a move would be a step forward in the protection of Australians’ rights.
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Health + Medicine
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Meru Sheel, University of Sydney
Many people who survived the catastrophic landslide in PNG are likely to be facing serious injuries and illness, with warnings of a significant risk of disease outbreaks in the country.
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Arts + Culture
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Joanna Mendelssohn, The University of Melbourne
This year’s Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize exhibition is well worth a visit – something no self-respecting art critic would have said in the past.
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Business + Economy
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Martin Richardson, Australian National University
One common oversimplification is that it’s just about countries making and trading what they’re best at. Yes, but there’s a bit more to it.
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James Cook University
Cairns QLD, Australia
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