In the 2022-23 financial year, the percentage of Australians who postponed or skipped GP appointments due to high prices doubled from 3.5 to 7 percent. This increase is attributed to high living costs and rising appointment prices, as reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Other health services also saw a noticeable increase in the number of people delaying or abandoning appointments.
According to ABS head of health statistics Robert Long, the data showed an increase in the number of people delaying or abandoning appointments across various health services. For example, the percentage of people who delayed or did not see a medical specialist due to cost rose from 8 to 10.5 percent, and the proportion of people who delayed visiting or didn’t go to a hospital when needed rose from 1.8 to 3.2 percent. The percentage of people delaying or skipping appointments for prescription medication also climbed from 5.6 to 7.6 percent.
Among age groups, people aged 25-34 years were more likely to delay or skip health services than those aged 85 years and above. Similarly, females, people with a long-term health condition, and those living in socio-economic disadvantaged areas reported higher chances of giving up medical services due to living cost issues.
In 2023, Australians experienced three waves of price rises for doctor appointments, resulting in an out-of-pocket fee of over $60 for patients with Medicare coverage. However, the federal government announced a three-time increase in bulk billing incentives for GPs who provide services to vulnerable patients from Nov. 1, providing relief to millions of Australians.
The ABS’s data comes as the federal government has launched a review into the way Australia recruits and places international doctors to deal with labor shortages in the healthcare sector. Health Minister Mark Butler stated that the government intended to allow more foreign doctors to work in more GP clinics to address the shortage, noting that there was no “silver bullet” to a global shortage of doctors and nurses. He emphasized the need to ensure a mix of health workers across all communities and address long-standing inequities.