Specialist GPs have marked International Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day by joining the World Health Organization in highlighting the devastating impact of health costs.
The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has stressed that a public health system which forces patients with complex or chronic conditions to pay out of pocket for longer consultations can't claim to offer universal coverage, and urged governments to protect patients from financial hardship.
"Health is a human right," RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said.
"Australia recognises the right of everyone to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and our governments are obligated to uphold that right. That means supporting all patients to access the care they need.
"Medicare is stronger after significant investments by our Federal Government, and we're seeing that in the data – patients are finding GPs are more accessible, more affordable, and more often spending the time they need with them.
"But it's the patients who live with chronic conditions, especially those in less-advantaged areas who report their GP can't spend enough time with them. Medicare was designed to fund the kind of care patients needed 41 years ago, and it hasn't kept up with patients' growing need for long consultations and mental health care.
"We can't allow patients who need more complex and comprehensive care from a specialist GP to miss out because of the gap between Medicare rebates and the real cost of providing that care."
The RACGP's 2025 Health of the Nation report identified gaps between what patients need and the care specialist GPs can provide, and what Medicare funds, including:
- The typical GP consultation now lasts almost 20 minutes, up 11% since 2022
- 86% of GPs manage conditions they expect non-GP specialists would typically treat, most often due to limited access to non-GP specialists (78%) and cost barriers preventing patients from seeing non-GP specialists (76%)
- 84% of GPs want to provide more preventive care, keeping patients out of hospital, but only 10% say this care is adequately incentivised in Medicare.
The RACGP President called for general practice funding that matches patients' needs.
"GPs are providing more complex care than ever, on the same per-patient spending as a decade ago," Dr Wright said.
"If patients miss out on care due to cost, they end up in hospital, or waiting outside in an ambulance.
"But there is a clear solution. Fund general practice to catch health issues early, manage mental health issues before they have major impacts, and provide the holistic care that keeps people healthy in the community for longer. There is no substitute for the care you get from a GP who knows and your history.
"We can already see the alternative: hospital cost blowouts, growing wait lists, and sick patients leaving hospital only to end up back again days or weeks later."
