The Federal Government has reversed course on controversial changes to Medicare bulk billing consent requirements, announcing a 12-month transition period and a series of concessions, after sustained pressure from GPs, peak bodies including the Australian Medical Association and Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, and Dr Monique Ryan.
Under the original regulations, from 1 July 2026 practices were to be required to obtain a signed assignment of benefit for every bulk-billed service—with verbal consent abolished across all settings, including telehealth. The reforms, designed to address a Medicare integrity risk identified by the Australian National Audit Office, were sound in principle but their implementation timeline was not.
Independent Federal Member for Kooyong, Dr Monique Ryan, welcomed the announcement as a genuine win for patients and GPs, but noted that there's more to do before the transition period expires.
"This outcome is a direct result of GPs and peak bodies making their concerns heard. When the RACGP and AMA both say a reform is unworkable, and when aged care residents and rural patients stand to bear the cost of poorly considered policies, the Government should listen. In this case it did. I'm glad the Minister acted."
"The impact of the Government's proposed changes on aged care residents was particularly concerning: those with dementia, those whose families aren't able to help, those who don't speak English. Bringing enduring assignment forward to 1 July fixes that."
"The transition period is welcome, but it is not a permanent fix. The Government has committed to working through the transition on further regulatory and legislative options to reduce administrative burden. I'll be holding them to that commitment. The goal of 90 per cent bulk-billing by 2030 requires an administrative architecture that helps GPs to bulk-bill, not one that creates new barriers to claiming."
The Government's revised arrangements, announced on 19 June, include:
- Verbal consent extended for 12 months: the option to obtain verbal assignment of benefit for bulk billed patients will remain available in all settings during a 12-month transition period.
- Enduring assignment brought forward: patients registered with MyMedicare, residents of aged care facilities, and patients attending Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) will be able to make an enduring assignment of benefit from 1 July 2026. This was brought forward from the previously planned April 2027 date.
- Education-first compliance: DoHDA has announced that compliance action will not commence until regulatory changes are complete, with an initial focus on prevention and education rather than enforcement.
The Government's concessions directly address the concerns Dr Ryan raised in her letter to Minister Butler on 6 June, identifying residential aged care, digitally excluded patients, and the premature abolition of verbal telehealth consent as the three most urgent implementation risks.
Under the original regime, a GP visiting a resident who lacked decision-making capacity could not bulk- bill the visit. The alternative was a private charge, meaning the patient would have to pay the gap between the full fee and the Medicare rebate out of pocket. The enduring assignment mechanism now available from 1 July means aged care residents can make a single, durable consent covering all future bulk-billed GP visits, removing that risk. Dr Ryan's letter to Minister Butler on the assignment of benefit changes
