RACGP secures protections for vulnerable patients ahead of 1 July Medicare changes

The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has thanked Federal Health Minister Mark Butler MP for acting to address significant concerns raised by GPs regarding the impact of new Medicare assignment of benefit requirements, particularly for residential aged care facilities (RACFs).

RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said the College’s membership has been expressing strong concerns about the growing administrative burden associated with the reforms and the potential impact on vulnerable patients for some time.

“The College acted swiftly on behalf of members, raising their concerns with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing [DoHDA] and the Minister for Health and Ageing, Mark Butler,” he said.

“GPs made it clear that these changes risked disrupting care for some of our most vulnerable patients.

“As a direct result of our advocacy, we welcome Minister Butler’s intervention and his preparedness to work with us to ensure patients’ access to care is not unduly impacted.”

Under the Government’s response:

• from 1 July, verbal consent will be available in all settings for 12 months
• enduring assignment of benefit will be an option for all MyMedicare registered patients, residents of aged care facilities and patients attending Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) from 1 July 2026 - bought forward from April 2027
• patients attending ACCHOs will be able to have enduring assignment at multiple sites
• providers and software vendors that have already prepared or are preparing for the new arrangements, including through digital solutions, should continue that work
• compliance will not commence until regulatory changes are complete and will begin with prevention and education
• there will be 12-month transition period, during which there is a commitment to work with the profession on the changed approach and explore other options to further reduce the administrative burden on both GP practices and patients while ensuring the integrity of Medicare is maintained.

“These measures will provide immediate relief for GPs working in aged care and other sectors that would have been most impacted by the reforms, and help ensure continuity of care for patients,” Dr Wright said.

“Importantly, they reflect a recognition by Government that a one-size-fits-all administrative approach does not work across all care settings.”

The RACGP acknowledged that while the Government’s response is a positive step, further work is required.

“We recognise this solution will not address all concerns raised by our members,” Dr Wright said.

“We will continue advocating for practical alternatives beyond the 12-month transition period to maintain services for patients in care settings where it is not feasible to obtain a patient signature in a timely way, including home visits and patients with disability or acute illness.

“The RACGP fully supports measures to uphold the integrity of Medicare. However, unreasonable administrative requirements that disrupt practice workflows and compromise timely access to care are not the way to achieve this.”

The RACGP will continue working closely with Government to ensure that reforms support both high-quality patient care and sustainable general practice.

~ENDS

Background

When a GP bulk bills a service, the patient agrees to let Medicare pay their rebate directly to the GP instead of receiving the payment themselves. This agreement is called ‘assignment of benefit’ and confirms the patient received the service and wants the Medicare payment to go to their doctor.

Under the proposed reforms, GPs would have needed to secure this consent each time they bulk billed a patient, which would have been especially challenging in aged care settings due to the advanced age or cognitive impairment of residents.

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The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is the peak representative organisation for general practice, the backbone of Australia’s health system. We set the standards for general practice, facilitate lifelong learning for GPs, connect the general practice community, and advocate for better health and wellbeing for all Australians.

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