Young Australians have been delaying and even avoiding trips to their local general practitioner (GP) due to the rising cost of living, according to latest figures,
Seven per cent of patients in 2023 said the cost was the deciding factor stopping them from seeing their doctor, which doubled from 3.5% of patients in 2022, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The issue of cost is prevalent in other areas of Australian healthcare, with 1 in 5 people putting off seeing a mental health specialist, 10.5% of people avoiding medical specialists, and 1 in 4 people delaying or not seeing a dental professional.
ABS data revealed young Australians and people living in areas of socio-economic disadvantage are the two groups most likely to delay or not use certain health services due to the cost.
One issue associated with the rising costs is the recent drop in GPs that offer bulk billing, with a -11.1% change in the bulk billing rate across Australia from 2023-2024, according to Cleanbill.
Currently, less than 1 in 4 doctors offer bulk billing to all adult patients for standard consultations.
Illawarra local Brendan Moles said he does not seek medical advice from his GP unless it is needed for work.
“It just costs too much, I can’t afford to spend that money when I need it for everything else,” Mr Moles said.
“Unless me being sick is serious enough that I need time off work, I’d prefer to just tough it out than have to break the bank.”
The federal recent budget introduced a package to encourage clinics across Australia to offer bulk billing, providing payments in an attempt to make basic healthcare more affordable for all Australians.
