The peak body representing medical practitioners has lent its voice to growing concerns around the demand facing GP services and the viability of bulk billing.
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At its monthly meeting last week, the Australian Medical Association northern branch met with Bass Liberal MHR Bridget Archer.
AMA northern chairman Dr Glenn Richardson said demand on services was being felt across the state, particularly in rural and remote areas.
"When we look at the big cities - Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane - the GPs there see people who are younger and they don't have so much chronic disease," he said.
"If they do, they have the specialist services to send those people to.
"But in Tasmania we don't have that number of specialists, so GPs here have to function at a much higher level ... in order to manage 99 per cent of patients, let alone being able to afford to bulk-bill them."
Dr Richardson said in order for GPs to be able to offer 100 per cent bulk billing, the Medicare rebate would need to be in-line with the inflation that had occurred since the 1980s.
"The rebate would now be about $85, not $38 and we would see 100 per cent bulk billing," he said.
"But this hasn't occurred. Further to that, we have just been through six years of a complete freeze on it."
Ms Archer has committed to work with GPs to address the concerns, including a proposed health forum with Health Minister Greg Hunt.
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