The Albanese government has estimated 10,800 additional trips to the GP were bulk-billed in the Hunter in November and December, since it tripled the bulk-billing incentive.
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The estimate was released to coincide with the government marking Medicare's 40th anniversary on Thursday.
The government said the rise in bulk-billing saved Hunter residents "an estimated $450,000 in gap fees" in the last two months of last year.
It said 69.8 per cent of GP visits were bulk-billed in the Hunter in December, rising 3.4 per cent in two months.
While these figures seem high given the difficulty in finding a bulk-billing GP in the region, the government says they are accurate.
A spokesman for Health Minister Mark Butler said the figures referred to the proportion of "all GP visits and consults" that were bulk-billed.
A Royal Australian College of General Practitioners survey last year said GPs that bulk-billed all patients fell from 24 per cent to 12 per cent from 2022 to 2023.
It also said GPs that bulk-billed most patients dropped from 40 per cent to 30 per cent in that period.
Mr Butler's spokesperson said some GPs bulk-bill pensioners, for example, "some of the time".
"They might not bulk-bill a longer consult that takes more time, but they might bulk-bill the standard 20-minute consult."
Some Hunter GPs bulk-bill the most disadvantaged patients on compassionate grounds, but it can be difficult to get an appointment due to the GP shortage.
The latest federal health figures for 2022/23 showed only 39.8 per cent of people in the Hunter New England-Central Coast district were "always bulk-billed".
This was the lowest among health networks in NSW.
Mr Butler said the government was "committed to making it easier for people to see a bulk-billing doctor".
Shortland MP Pat Conroy said the rise in bulk-billing was "a win all round for our community - patients, doctors and the health system".
Since November 1, the government has offered GPs extra incentives to bulk-bill patients aged under 16, pensioners and concession card holders.
Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon said these patients "account for around three out of five visits to the GP", adding that the incentives "brought important relief".
"I want to see the GP uptake of this incentive continue to rise in Newcastle to ensure Novocastrians have access to affordable healthcare," she said.
Paterson MP Meryl Swanson said the bulk-billing boost provided "significant cost of living relief" and "reflects our commitment to ensuring that quality medical care remains within reach for all."
Hunter MP Dan Repacholi said Labor introduced Medicare and "only Labor can be trusted to strengthen and protect it".
The government said the GP bulk-billing rate in NSW had increased by 1.7 per cent to 82.3 per cent in two months. Nationally, this rate rose by 2.1 per cent to 77.7 per cent.
The rise in bulk-billing was also due to 58 Medicare urgent care clinics being established nationwide, including one at Cessnock.
The decline in bulk-billing emerged because previous governments maintained a Medicare rebate freeze, which squeezed GP budgets as costs rose.
People have been increasingly complaining to GPs about the cost of appointments.
The cost for a standard GP consultation was generally about $70 to $90 in the Hunter, with a Medicare rebate of about $40.
