OPINION: Increase the Medicare rebate for GPs

Federal Labor MPs proudly say their Party invented Medicare, and only Labor in government would protect it. This is an opportunity for them to prove it.

I can hear some readers shouting as they read this, "how can the government afford to do that with the budget already billions of dollars in deficit?"

I'll infuriate those readers with a question for the answer. If you value GPs, how could the government afford not to?

I reckon my GP is worth whatever he charges. He was spot on with a diagnosis that helped me when I needed it. I am sure many other Aussies have been helped similarly by their GP.

Providing a GP service costs money, granted no one thinks about that when they are ill and want to see a doctor, but like everything else, GP practices' costs are rising. The AMA claims current Medicare rebates are insufficient to cover the cost of providing high-quality care.

The only way to keep GPs affordable for everyone is for the government to subsidise them via a substantial increase in Medicare patient rebates and an increase in the bulk-billing incentive.

So back to the question of how the federal government pays for it.

The Medicare levy is currently two per cent of your taxable income, that needs to increase.

If those earning under $100,000 a year paid an extra half a per cent, those earning between $100,000 and $200,000 pay an additional one per cent and those earning more than $200,000 paid an extra two per cent on the Medicare levy that would go a long way to paying for a good portion of a rebate increase to GPs.

Labor did go to the election saying they'd charge no new taxes, but most of us would understand, in this case, that promise should be broken.

Australia needs enough GPs to provide care for people in our communities because, as Labor spruiked during the election, everyone needs access to high-quality care regardless of income or postcode.