GPs launch antifreeze campaign in bid to protect patient care

21 July 2015

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is today launching a campaign against the Federal Government’s decision to freeze patient Medicare rebates which will force people to pay more to see their GP.

The antifreeze campaign will see posters explaining the impact of the decision displayed in general practices across the country and provide template letters for patients and GPs to write directly to Health Minister Sussan Ley, urging her to stop the freeze.

The campaign will run on social media, using the dedicated campaign hashtag #antifreeze. RACGP representatives will also directly meet with MPs across Australia to explain why the freeze should be abandoned to protect quality patient care.

RACGP President Dr Frank R Jones said the Federal Government’s freeze on patient Medicare rebates was a co-payment by stealth.

“The freeze on patient rebates will force GPs to pass costs on to patients, resulting in serious implications for access to, and the provision of, quality clinical services,” Dr Jones said.

“The campaign will galvanise GPs across the country who collectively have a huge capacity to inform their patients about the impact of the freeze and urge them to get behind the campaign.

“We saw how effectively GPs can work with their patients in January this year when the RACGP ran its highly successful You’ve Been Targeted campaign which was directly responsible for the Federal Government’s co-payment back down,” Dr Jones said.

He said GPs across the country were grappling with how to deal with the freeze.

“As GPs who care about our patients, the last thing we want to do is ask them to pay more for vital healthcare services. But in many cases, if GPs don’t pass on the costs, their practices run the risk of becoming unviable. If a practice becomes unviable and they close down, patient access will be reduced.

“We know that when patients worry about the cost of visiting their GP they are more likely to delay making an appointment. As a result, their condition gets worse and, in some cases, people end up in expensive hospital emergency departments,” Dr Jones said.

In an April survey of RACGP members, the majority of respondents said they would be forced to pass on increased out-of-pocket expenses to their patients. GPs who responded to the survey said the freeze would reduce patient access to care because of increases in out-of-pocket costs.

GPs see more than 80% of Australia’s population every year and are the most cost-efficient pillar of the healthcare system.

The RACGP is the peak professional body for general practice in Australia representing more than 30,000 members working in or towards a career in general practice.