Thread: No longer Bulk-Billing Doctor

Hello All,

I just logged-off from checking bank balances and the refund from Medicare was in one of my accounts!

The interesting thing is I used a different different card linked to an account at different bank to pay the consultation fee.

The refund went back to another card/bank which must have previously been linked to Medicare a couple of years ago.

My concern was the refund could only be paid to the account the debt was paid with. Apparently, refunds go via whatever account is linked to the Medicare account; regardless of which card linked to a bank account pays the debt.

Gee a government-based system with some flexibility built into it - who would of thunk it!



Kind regards
Lionel

I must have one of the best Doctors around. Bulk bills, does house calls and drives these.

L322 1.jpg 002.jpg

and used to drive this

IMG_20160328_164756.jpg

Is he house calling the people or vehicles?

Originally Posted by V8Ian

Is he house calling the people or vehicles?

Bit of both. I have only ever driven his L322 but the RRC (s) is a regular visitor to my shed. He is a very good Doc but he is bloody hard on cars.

IMG_3771.jpg

Years ago I mean maybe 5 years ago you will need to send the form to claim MBS rebate. Now it's done electronically

MBS rebate is what you referred to as "refund". It is essentially the price Medicare is willing to pay for a consultation 23 .
MBS being medical benefit schedule. Google it and type in service 23 to see the details. The consultant will be less than 20 minutes

You can also log into your mygov and link it to Medicare to see what your GP actually claim. Maybe not item 23 but something else from Medicare. Maybe a item 44 that is more than 40 minutes of talking....For ,$115 rebate

Doctors can charge you whatever amount but you should be informed the "gap" aka copayment aka the amount come out of your pocket. Before the consultation

Copayment= doctors price - Medicare price. Thus the name "gap" as in you fill the gap between your doctor's price and Medicare price.


Sometimes I treat bulkbill patients. But lets be honest, you get what you pay for. If one is being treated as public patient (I.e. bulkbill patient), one should expect the service be of "public healthcare quality"....

Yes you can get bulkbill dental treatment....

Originally Posted by pop058

Bit of both. I have only ever driven his L322 but the RRC (s) is a regular visitor to my shed. He is a very good Doc but he is bloody hard on cars.

IMG_3771.jpg

Do you bulk bill him, or do you have a contra-deal happening?

This may be of interest. Medicare bulk billing fees have been frozen for some time, as have DVA payments for gold and white cards. Some high end specialists have been refusing to see veterans on gold and white cards, purely because DVA are not paying what the DR's say are market rates. Part of the correspondence to and fro contains this snippet of interest to medicare members. This letter was written in 2018, I believe.

"

In two lengthy paragraphs, Mr Chester explains to Ms Sudmalis that [and I paraphrase] indexation of GP bulk-billing fees under Medicare, which had also been frozen in the past, were unfrozen on 1 July last year, standard GP and specialist fees were unfrozen on 1 July this year and specialist and specialist procedures would be unfrozen on 1 July next year." I have no idea of the new rates.

Originally Posted by bob10

This may be of interest. Medicare bulk billing fees have been frozen for some time, as have DVA payments for gold and white cards. Some high end specialists have been refusing to see veterans on gold and white cards, purely because DVA are not paying what the DR's say are market rates. Part of the correspondence to and fro contains this snippet of interest to medicare members. This letter was written in 2018, I believe.

"

In two lengthy paragraphs, Mr Chester explains to Ms Sudmalis that [and I paraphrase] indexation of GP bulk-billing fees under Medicare, which had also been frozen in the past, were unfrozen on 1 July last year, standard GP and specialist fees were unfrozen on 1 July this year and specialist and specialist procedures would be unfrozen on 1 July next year." I have no idea of the new rates.

Hi Bob, DVA rates are usually better than medicare rebate amounts paid to Doctors of all kinds. Medicare item 23 is $37.60 where DVA item 23 is a generous $43.25 ( just kidding about generous )

Happily most specialists treat our DVA clients as we all hope they do. The indexation freeze has made many to most electricians and plumbers earning more than a Doctor who has spent seven years at university getting a MBBS then treated as slaves in the public hospital placements systems until they get to spend another 4 or so years to become a specialist in General practice, Surgery, Emergency, Physician or all the others.

I have two very bright kids. Not at all sure I would want them to invest 10 years to be Doctors when a plumber, engineer or a M.B.A. would have them earning well before a Doctor finishes a specialty. Medicare is great in many ways, a dog in others.

The MBS freeze finished but no recovery provided. Doctors are effectively earning in real terms $$$ to 2012 levels or worse. I can promise you their costs have risen to 2019 levels- Ouch!