14 March 2017 | Australian GPs, UK/Ireland GPs | 6 minutes read
Bulk or mixed billing? That is the question with any GP job.
UK GPs wanting to find a GP job in Australia often ask for jobs in mixed billing practices in preference to bulk billing practices. Are mixed billing practices better places to work?
Firstly, some background.
In February 1984, the Medicare system was introduced by the Australian government, granting basic healthcare to all Australians.
While Medicare is “free”, it’s funded by tax payers in form of a medicare levy tax. The Medicare rebate can be claimed by all Australians for eligible medical services.
What does bulk billing mean? Bulk billing means that the patient doesn’t have to pay for eligible medical services. The medical practice which offers bulk billing, accepts the Medicare benefit as full payment for the service.
It also means that GPs working in bulk billing practices see their patients entirely at the expense of the government through its healthcare system, Medicare, which allows $37.05 (for a standard 10-minute consult) for everyone to visit the doctor when needed. In a bulk billing practice, no money changes hands between the patient and the GP for the consultation or visit. The practice simply bulk bill Medicare for all the patient visits. It’s simple and easy, and very like the way GPs see patients on the NHS in the UK.
Not all practices choose to bulk bill. If you’d like to find out if a specific practice offers bulk billing, you can visit healthdirect.gov.au to find out.
There are advantages of bulk billing for patients and for doctors likewise:
Private billing means that patients pay the medical bill themselves or as in most cases, their private health insurance will cover all or part of the costs. It also means that there are no restrictions on what practices can charge for their medical services.
However as with many other competitive industries, practices face a lot of competition and therefore it’s not advised to charge above market rates.
As we have learnt above, the main difference is that patients pay the medical bill themselves if they opt to visit a privately billed practice. On the contrary, in bulk billing practices, Medicare covers the costs, which means patients have no out-of-pocket expenses.
In practice, there are hardly any pure private billing practices and therefore ‘private billing’ has become synonymous with ‘mixed billing’.
In Mixed billing practices, a percentage of a GP’s patients will pay a private top up on the Medicare allowance, this comes from the patient’s pocket. They will do this because it gives them more choice as to whom they see, when they visit, for how long, and very importantly, because they can afford it!
Does this mean a mixed billing practice is a nicer or better place to work? Much will depend on the way a GP likes to work but here are some facts and trends to take into account when thinking through your preferences:
In the final analysis each job opportunity needs to be evaluated on its own merits, not whether it is mixed or bulk billing. At Alecto we have an excellent list of Sydney GP jobs and any other city for that matter. Those opportunities are both mixed and bulk billing, and because we understand how important it is for you to get the right job we will talk you through the relative strengths of each job and help you understand which opportunity will suit you best. We will never tell you mixed or bulk billing is best!
If you would like to talk about our jobs and your working preferences please contact Martina, Director at martina.stanley@alecto.com.au or +61 0403 444 764
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