Seniors group hits out at $2 GP fee hike

A temporary freeze on the Medicare patient rebate could see patients stuck with extra costs. Source: AAP

A SENIORS group has hit out at a recommendation that GPs raise fees by $2 to cover a freeze in the Medicare rebate, saying older Australians may skip seeing a local doctor because of the increase.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has advised its members to increase standard GP consultation rates by $2 to $73, claiming the rebate had failed to keep up with increasing practice costs.

The indexation of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) was temporarily frozen by the former Labor government, fixing the rebate for a standard GP visit at $36.30 until July.

New Health Minister Peter Dutton says the government will not overturn that budget measure, saying "sadly families are going to be paying for Labor's debt for a long time, including when they go to see their doctor".

"The rebate was frozen by Labor and, given the record debt, it is hard to see how that can be undone in the short term," Mr Dutton said in a statement.

Chief of National Seniors Michael O'Neill said the GP fee increase would only serve to widen the "rebate gap" faced by low-income retirees.

"This increasing gap means retirees on low, fixed incomes, may consider skipping seeing their doctor altogether," Mr O'Neill said in a statement.

"The onus is either on doctors to show goodwill by deferring any fee increases until July, or the new government to lift the MBS rebate freeze now."

AMA President Steve Hambleton defended the increase and said there was a "long history" of MBS indexation lagging behind the real costs of medical care.

"The MBS simply has not kept pace with the complexity or cost of providing high quality medical services," Dr Hambleton said.

Greens health spokesman Richard Di Natale blamed the new government for the GP fee increase, saying "governing is all about priorities and it's clear that Tony Abbott has his priorities wrong".

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