Federal Election 2025: Australian Association of Practice Management deems Labor's centerpiece Medicare policy 'smoke and mirrors'
Australia's national association for general practice has deemed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's centrepiece Medicare pledge as 'smoke and mirrors'.
Mr Albanese has repeatedly claimed Australians would only need their Medicare cards to see a GP amid a multi-billion dollar pledge to boost bulk billing rates over the next five years.
The policy has sparked reaction from medical bodies including the Royal College of General Practitioners, which has warned expanding incentives would not necessarily result in wider access to bulk-billed consultations.
The Australian reports the Australian Association of Practice Management is the latest organisation to cast doubt on the idea patients will be able to see a doctor for free.
AAPM chief executive Miranda Grace told the masthead this would not be the reality as 'there's no such thing as free'.
'It's a nice vision and a nice political sell, but we are in the business of being practical,' she said.
'The idea that all you will need is your Medicare card to get free doctors' visits – I think that is a beautiful dream to have but I don't know how that's going to translate in reality. I think it's going to be a huge challenge."
Ms Grace said many practitioners now bulk bill based on 'particular patient needs' and the community they serve.
She said there was 'a bit of smoke and mirrors' involved in the policy, as well as 'a utopian sort of vision'.
Australian Medical Association President Dr Danielle McMullen earlier this month slammed the pledge, saying says doctors were frustrated by the 'lack of reform' and that Labor's incentives don't 'help people get that extra time with their GP'.
Mr Albanese was questioned about doubts raised over the 90 per cent bulk-billing pledge on Wednesday, declaring, 'the AMA haven't always been great fans of the whole concept of Medicare'.
'So we're not shocked that occasionally not every doctor comes on board there. But the reason why we are so confident is because this is not some academic exercise,' he said, speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra.
'The modelling that we've done shows that it will be in their interests to have fully bulk-billed services throughout the country.
'What we've got is a 2030 target of achieving (90 per cent bulk billing).'
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The update came as Cochlear launched its latest implant in Australia, the first of its kind with upgradeable firmware and internal memory. Investors opted to take the good news over the bad, sending Cochlear shares 0.4 per cent higher to $271.65 after dipping more than nine per cent at the market's open. Jenny Young, one of the first to try the new device, was in her late 40s when her audiologist told her she would need hearing aids. Phone conversations were hard, she needed friends and family to repeat themselves and the country music shows she loved had become muffled and unclear. "I just gave up because I didn't know what song was coming on," Ms Young, now 58, told AAP. She initially ignored her audiologist's advice until life became too difficult. "Sometimes you felt excluded, and you tended to exclude yourself because you weren't quite sure what was said, and you didn't want to pop in and embarrass yourself," Ms Young said. 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