EXPANDED BULK-BILLING ACCESS
following $8.5B Medicare commitment

ForHealth Group, Australia’s largest bulk-billing General Practice provider, serving more than 7 million patient visits annually, will expand its bulk-billing network.

This follows the announced $8.5b bi-partisan Medicare commitment, including:

• Expanded eligibility for the bulk-billing incentive rebate currently available to children and Healthcare Card holders to all Australians.
• A new 12.5% loading payment on rebates for practices that only bulk-bill.

Subject to final policy details and with agreement from local General Practitioners, the following network changes are expected from November 2025:

• Practices that only bulk-bill will increase from 1-in-10 practices currently to more than 6-in-10 practices, and from 1m to 5m total visits annually.
• Our network bulk-billing rate will increase from 77% currently (close to the national average) to >90% across all practices.

ForHealth CEO Andrew Cohen said:

“This investment is a vote-of-confidence in Medicare and bulk-billing. Patients and our GPs will be significantly better off, and we intend to expand our bulk-billing network nationwide as a result.

From November 1, where our GPs agree, we expect 6-in-every-10 practices in our network to only bulk-bill patients, up from 1-in-every-10 practices today.

This is a shift from 1m to 5 million patient visits at 100% bulk-billed practices each year.

Our work indicates patient hip-pockets will be better-off, by removing $60m in private fees, and our average GP will be 30% better-off.

It is only the start. We are confident, with time, more practices and GPs in our network and across the sector will see the economic and patient benefits of moving to bulk-billing – particularly in the outer metro, regional and low-socioeconomic communities we operate in. With cost-of-living pressures and rising incidence of chronic disease, this is meaningful reform.”

ForHealth Clinical Director Dr Carolyn Roesler said:

“I have worked in Elizabeth in South Australia, a lowest decile socioeconomic community, for more than 25 years. I am also on the Board of the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NAHLAN) which oversees hospitals and community health in the area.

Private gap fees are now commonplace in our area, because rebates are considered too low unless the patient has a Healthcare Card. GP workforce is also very low, half the level of inner metropolitan areas, because the community has a limited capacity to pay for private fees.

I am confident that the proposed changes will fundamentally change health access in Elizabeth, attracting new doctors, ensuring Bulk Billing for all and making private fees the exception and not the rule. This is a great outcome for the health of Australians.”