Call to Claw Back Medicare From Gouging Specialists
A parliamentary inquiry and federal consultations are weighing reforms after 2.2 million patients paid at least one extreme fee last year, researchers said.
5 Articles
5 Articles
Australians are paying ‘extreme’ specialist fees. Here’s how the government can rein in costs
Xavier Arnau/Getty via Canva, Gerardo Huitron/Getty via Canva, Pixelshot/Canva, The Conversation, CC BY-NCSeeing a specialist keeps getting more expensive, and a new Grattan Institute analysis shows the problem is getting worse, not better. After years of inaction, reform may finally be on the agenda. At the end of last year, Health Minister Mark Butler said fees to see medical specialists – such as paediatricians, dermatologists and psychiatris…
A new investigative analysis shows that Australians are paying 20% more for some specialist doctors than a year ago as healthcare costs rise faster than inflation, further prompting calls for the government to take more measures to curb exorbitant fees.
A Grattan Institute report argues that specialists cannot blame exorbitant fees on insufficient government subsidies or high operating costs, as these factors represent only a small fraction of the rising costs faced by Australians. Medicare subsidies decreased by $9 per patient between 2012 and 2025 on an average basis, but specialists increased patient fees by an average of $37 during the same period, recovering more than four times the amount…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
