Labor and the Coalition have pledged billions of dollars towards health this campaign. But what will it mean for you?

Australia Broadcast Center

23-04-2025

As an increasing number of Australians skip medical care because of the cost or languish on public wait lists, the major parties have headed into this election contest vowing to do more to make health care accessible and affordable.
The vast majority of policies on offer promise to make it free or cheaper to see the doctor or access medicines, an unsurprising move in a campaign where cost-of-living issues are a major issue for voters.
Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on
Both Labor and the Coalition have unveiled the bulk of their pitches, seeking to prescribe a fix for the inaccessible and unaffordable healthcare many Australians experience.
So what's in it for you? Let's take a look.
Billions for bulk billing
The centrepiece of
The move to expand the bulk-billing incentive to all Australians is part of a package costing $8.5 billion over four years, and Labor says that will be the single largest investment in Medicare since its inception more than 40 years ago.
Anthony Albanese has regularly presented a Medicare card on the campaign trail.
(
ABC News: Ashleigh Barraclough
)
The bulk-billing incentive is a payment aimed at encouraging doctors to provide their services at no cost to their patients, and it currently only applies to a small cohort of the population like children and concession card holders.
Labor's promising to expand that so it can be used for everyone.
The Coalition has seen little to gain in a fight about health, swiftly matching the commitment "dollar for dollar."
Questions have already been raised about
It's still entirely up to GPs whether they bulk bill and accept the incentive, and those who don't are free to set their own fees.
Bulk-billing rates have fallen in recent years, and this policy's aimed at addressing that.
The crucial thing to note though is that the rates are calculated on visits, not people.
Children and old people — who are more likely to be bulk billed — see GPs more often and therefore inflate the figures. There's also a
Health Department figures show in 2023-24, less than half of Australians were always bulk billed when they saw a GP.
Medicare has been central to Labor's campaign in this election.
Urgent Care Clinics a 'secret weapon'
Dubbed a "secret weapon" by Labor MPs and candidates out on the hustings, Urgent Care clinics have been a dominate feature of Labor campaigns this election.
You only need to look at social media to see politician after politician spruik the local locations of the centres.
It's become the topic many Labor MPs are leading off with while doorknocking: "Have you heard about the new urgent care clinic being built down the road?"
Bulk billing aims to incentivise doctors to treat patients at no extra cost.
(
ABC: Michael Donnelly
)
Just like Oprah's iconic "you get a car" moment, Labor is throwing urgent care clinics to punters like confetti, with almost 90 already delivered and a
The clinics are designed to take pressure off emergency departments by treating people with illnesses or injuries which are urgent, but not life threatening.
They're usually run by GPs who work alongside nurses and other health care professionals and are open outside of work hours. They're also walk-in and bulk-billed, so you don't have to pay out-of-pocket costs when you go.
But the centres aren't without criticism. The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has raised
The Coalition says it supports existing Urgent Care Clinics, but hasn't committed to the additional 50, instead working through its own proposed locations for future clinics.
Labor, however, has run hard with a scare campaign that all the centres are at risk under a Dutton government — claims
More money for women's health
After decades of neglect, women's health is a major focus for the major parties.
Labor has put forward a more than half-a-billion-dollar
The use of long-term contraceptives like IUDs is low in Australia compared to other comparable countries, and that's partly because of the cost.
This policy aims to change that, significantly boosting the Medicare rebate for IUD insertion from $91 to $215.
The Albanese government is also promising to expand a network of endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics operating around the country, lifting the number from 22 to 33.
The entire package has also been matched by the Coalition, which argues it started work on this area when it was in office.
Both Labor and the Coalition are pledging to improve women's health care.
(
Flickr: Alex Proimos
)
Cheaper medicines
At a time when American medical giants are coming after what they've described as an "egregious" Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), the major parties are staring them down, promising to make medicines even cheaper from next year.
Both Labor and the Coalition are promising to
Pensioners and concession cardholders will continue to pay $7.70 for their PBS medicines, with the price frozen at its current level until 2030.
The plan will cost $690 million over the next four years and will save Australians a combined $200 million a year.
An independent body recommends what is listed on the PBS, with about 930 prescription medicines currently on the scheme. The government then subsidises those medications to make them cheaper for Australians to buy.
Workforce
By the government's own concession, the health workforce
There are critical shortages across the board, but the major parties are mainly focusing on primary care this election.
A decline in GPs is adding pressure to the workforce.
(
Adobe Stock
)
The Coalition's workforce strategy is aimed at tackling GP shortages, with a pledge to incentivise more junior doctors to train in general practice and 150 additional training places. There's also a move for 200 training places specifically in regional, rural and remote health.
Labor's also come forward with a policy — unveiled as part of that $8.5 billion bulk-billing pledge — to expand the GP workforce to 2,000 a year (an extra 400 a year) from 2028.
It also includes salary incentives so more trainee doctors choose to become GPs when it's time to specialise.
Public hospital funding
With a five-year national funding agreement due to wrap up right after the election, Labor has secured an interim one-year deal with the states over hospital funding before heading in to caretaker mode.
The federal government has given the states and territories a $1.7 billion increase in funding for this year, lifting the Commonwealth's contribution to public hospital funding by 12 per cent to a total of about $34 billion next financial year.
The states and territories have an agreement with the Commonwealth, where hospitals are funded based on how many and what type of patients they treated the previous year — and that's then adjusted for cost increases (things like wage growth, rent hikes or equipment.)
The federal government picks up a portion of hospital costs: it's currently on the glide path from 40 to 45 per cent.
And to put the brakes on spending, the federal government caps annual funding growth at 6.5 per cent on the previous year. That means if the cost of hospitals rises by more than that, the states and territories have to pick up the rest of the bill.
Health Minister Mark Butler has indicated that cap is no longer fit-for-purpose, saying every jurisdiction will "bust through" it next year.
The Coalition supports the recent round of additional funding, and whoever wins the next election will negotiate a new five-year agreement with the states and territories.
Mental health
Mental health has been a focus for the major parties this campaign, but unlike many of the other health policies, there's a point of difference.
Labor's promising $1 billion for
While a key plank of the Coalition's policy is to
It has also promised to expand existing headspace centres and services for young people with complex needs.
Experts argue the major parties are