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Antoine Barich has run a family medical clinic in western Sydney for almost 30 years.
The GP knows times are tough for many patients right now and he's says he's keeping the option of bulk-billing open to them so they're not left out of pocket.
"Sometimes patients even come to see us as a bulk billing doctor and they say doctor check my blood pressure but don't give me a script because I don't have money to buy it so in this case you can understand how much the budget is effective people's health."
But Dr Michael Wright, president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners says the findings of a new report suggest there are signs GPs are becoming less willing to cover these expenses up front.
"All Australians need affordable access to a GP who knows them and what this report shows is we do need major investment in Medicare, to support bulk billing but also to support the reduction of out-of-pocket costs for people who aren't being bulk billed and are revealed in the report."
The snapshot, published by healthcare directory Cleanbill, looked specifically at clinics that offer bulk-billing to new adult patients, who don't hold a concession entitlement and are wanting a standard consultation.
The survey of almost 7,000 ... found the number has dropped from 35 to 20 per cent since 2023.
Based on that survey criteria, only New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland had clinic bulk billing rates above 10%... while Tasmania had none.
The rate in South Australia slumped 3.9% in the past year... while in the Northern Territory - it fell below 10%.
But Health Minister Mark Butler says he believes the figures aren't representative of the full picture.
"A ring around of general practices by this private company is no substitute for core Medicare data. But I've been very clear - we need to do more. What we have done has made a meaningful difference. But it is still tough."
The Health Minister says overall bulk-billing visit numbers are actually up... helped, he says, by more government investment in incentive payments for concession card holders and under 16-year-olds.
Mr Butler says nationally, 77 per cent of all GP visits were bulk-billed in October 2024.
"And very pleasingly - in the first 12 months of that record investment - what we saw was an arrest of the free fall - the free fall simply stopped and really pleasingly bulk billing rates for GP visits have started to climb."
But the report also found patient out-of-pocket costs are up for GP visits... 4.1% last year to an average of almost $44 nationally.
While ABS figures show 1.5 million people didn't see a GP in 2024, because of cost concerns.
Both the Opposition and Government have already foreshadowed that bringing health costs down will form a central part of their pitch to voters in an election year.
Here is Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
"People would be right to mark down Labor at the next election if they are voting on health. so in terms of being able to manage health you need to be able to manage the economy so you can put more money and resources."
A political tussle over Medicare very familiar campaign territory.
