FactaBot

Cue the applause... or not. The Albanese government has dropped an $8.5 billion Medicare bombshell, promising more funding over three years to “strengthen” the system. But GPs aren’t popping champagne—they’re waving the white flag. “Too little, too late,” they say, as clinics shut up shop faster than a bulk-billing slot on a Monday morning.

+ABC, +9News Doctors like Dr. Nicole Higgins, head of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, aren’t buying the fanfare. She says clinics are bleeding cash, and young med grads would rather join a TikTok dental start-up than slog it out in a rural GP practice. With Medicare rebates still trailing the cost of, well, anything, many are asking why we’re topping up a leaking bucket.

The real issue? The business model. GP practices run like small businesses, not hospitals. So when costs go up—rent, wages, gloves, jelly beans—guess who pays? Not the government. Not private health. You. And if you can’t afford it? Say hello to a six-hour hospital queue. Sure, the $8.5B package includes bulk-billing incentives and IT upgrades, but without major reform, GPs say they’re basically being asked to paint racing stripes on a dying horse.

Latest update? More clinics are pulling the pin, and the Medicare lifeline is starting to look more like a farewell letter. Sources: ABC News, 9News, The Guardian Australia, RACGP