When you’re sick, seeing a doctor shouldn’t be a struggle. That’s why we’re making the single largest investment in Medicare ever. Already we've:
- Opened 87 free Medicare Urgent Care Clinics and will be opening 50 more.
- Established 1800 Medicare - a free, 24/7 health advice line and after hours GP telehealth service.
- Expanded the bulk billing incentive to all Australians, incentivising general practices that bulk bill every patient. This means that 9 out of 10 GP visits will be bulk billed by 2030.
We're putting mental health at the heart of Medicare by:
- Committing to opening 61 free, walk-in Mental Health Centres, with 31 centres already opened - providing free mental health care to anyone who walks through the door.
- Investing over $200 million for 58 new, upgraded and expanded headspace services.
- Establishing Medicare Mental Health Check In - a free online service offering digital self-help tools and Low-Intensity CBT with trained professionals by phone or video, increasing access to free mental health support without needing a GP referral or worrying about gap fees.
You should be able to afford the medicine you need, without worrying about the cost. That is why we've:
- Made the largest cut to the cost of medicines in the history of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), with the maximum cost of a script falling to $25 - the cheapest its been since 2004.
- Introduced 60-day prescriptions - saving Australians time and money.
- Reduced the number of scripts a patient must fill before the PBS Safety Net kicks in - making medicines free and cheaper sooner
For too long women's health hasn't been taken seriously. We're changing that by:
- Delivering an additional 11 Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinics, bringing the total number of clinics nationwide to 33.
- Making contraceptive pills cheaper, funding more free GP appointments for long term contraceptives like IUDs, and boosting support for women experiencing menopause.
