From 1st of November 2025, the Australian Government will be encouraging all general practices to register for their latest initiative, the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program (BBPIP). Practices participating in the program must bulk bill every eligible service for every patient to meet the program’s requirements.
The Australian Government states that the BBPIP “supports accessible healthcare for all Australians” and aims to “support General Practices across the country to bulk bill every patient.” *
While the BBPIP is presented as a positive initiative, the broader impact on GPs and general practice services will be significant:
- Decreased continuity of care as a result of reduced appointment availability
- Shorter consultation times due to pressure for GPs to see more patients
- Impact on practice resources due to inability to cover cost of consumables
- Practices are rewarded based on meeting specific bulk billing quotas, rather than the quality of care provided
Decades of inadequate indexation, and the Medicare freeze, have led to patient rebates falling far behind the cost of seeing a GP.
The BBPIP does not address the structural underfunding of general practice.
Ask your MP why the Medicare rebates have not increased.
At The Madison Medical Practice, we put quality care first.
Why We Are Continuing Mixed Billing
Medicare rebates haven’t kept pace with the true cost of care. Your consultation fees help us cover:
- Skilled doctors and nurses
- Up-to-date medical equipment
- High standards of medical care with qualified registered nurses and staff
- Longer, more personalised appointments and support for patients with complex and chronic needs
We Continue to Bulk Bill** the Vulnerable in Our Community
- Patients aged 15 years and under or 70 years and over
- Holders of valid Pension Concession or DVA cards
For other patients, a consultation fee applies to help cover the rising costs of healthcare that Medicare rebates do not fully meet.
**Bulk billed for most standard GP consultations, weekdays only
“Australians pay taxes for Medicare, and in a cost-of-living crisis we need help.
Yet, AMA analysis has continually shown Medicare has never been funded to keep up with inflation.
Funding continues to be stripped, year-on-year, by inadequate rebates.
As costs continue to rise, patient rebates are left further and further behind.”
Source: Australian Medical Association
