Yahoo Finance Aussies skipping GP because of cost
Many Aussies are delaying or avoiding getting medical care because of the cost.
Aussies are putting off or not going to the doctor because it is too expensive, a new government report has found.
The Productivity Commission’s latest report found 3.5 per cent of Aussies who needed to see a GP didn’t do so because of the cost, an increase of almost 50 per cent from the previous year.
High costs also stopped almost 22 per cent of Aussies from seeing a psychologist, psychiatrist or mental health professional.
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According to the report, only 65.8 per cent of patients were fully bulk billed during the year, which was a “reversal of the upward trend” reported over the past nine years.
The biggest out-of-pocket costs were for specialists ($98), followed by allied health services ($61) and non-referred GPs ($42).
The cost of medication was also a barrier for Aussies, with 5.6 per cent of people delaying or not filling their prescriptions because it was too expensive.
Aussies waiting years for care
Aussies are also experiencing long wait times for care. Nearly two in five people (39.1 per cent) who needed an urgent GP appointment were left waiting for 24 hours or more, the report found.
Meanwhile, Aussies were stuck on public dental waiting lists for years. In Victoria, half of non-Indigenous Australians were waiting more than 800 days (more than two years) for a visit, while in Tasmania, half of patients were waiting more than 1,281 days (more than 3.5 years).
Yesterday, Health Minister Mark Butler acknowledged Aussies were struggling with healthcare wait times and costs.
“It has never been harder to see a doctor than it is right now. It's also never been more expensive,” Butler said.
It comes as state and territory leaders prepare to push for healthcare and Medicare reform at tomorrow’s national cabinet meeting.
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