With expenses at Your Family Doctors at Erina continuing to climb, and your Medicare rebate covering only half of our private fees, our team have sadly realised to allow us to survive as a business, we are no longer able to bulk bill children under the age of 16 starting from 1st October 2022.
Due to Federal government policies such as the Medicare freeze the Medicare rebate value has not kept up with inflation. The Medicare rebate of $39 for a consult less than 20 minutes equates to less than 50% of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) recommended fee of $86. As we are a private business with staff, equipment and rent to pay, this greater than 50% discount that we have provided to date, is not sustainable.
The majority of our medical services will have an out-of-pocket cost of around $40 – $50. Care plans, care plan reviews, and health assessments will continue to be bulk billed, depending on eligibility.
If you are a family with high medical needs, you may reach your safety net, which means your rebate will become higher, dramatically reducing out-of-pocket expenses. It is recommended all family members are on the same medicare card to ensure all transactions contribute to your total. Click here To find out more about the medicare safety net,
If you are someone who has previously been bulk billed, unfortunately it is unlikely this can continue. Of course, we remain committed to supporting those families in considerable financial distress. If this applies to you, please get in touch with our practice manager. For patients on a means-tested aged pension, or a disability pension, we will work with you to determine a sustainable way of providing the care and compassion you deserve.