Doctors say there has already been a drop in GP visits because patients fear they will be hit with a $7 co-payment announced in last week’s budget.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) says its members have reported a fall in appointments and some practices have resorted to texting patients to tell them the fee has not been introduced yet.
The co-payment is not scheduled to start until July next year.
AMA president Steve Hambleton says patients are confused over the timing and who will be exempt.
“Well we’ve already got some feedback. Certainly from western Sydney there’s practices that are saying that attendances have dropped and now we’re getting reports from other parts of the country as well,” Mr Hambleton said.
“Some practices have said that they’ve had in the first few days about a 50 per cent reduction in presentations so that $7 co-payment looks like it is going to change behaviour to some degree.
“I think the most important thing is we don’t want to put a barrier in front of people for primary health care.
“We do know if we stay on the same trajectory … we will find ourselves in an unaffordable situation.”
The $7 fee to visit the doctor is a key element of the new federal budget and has prompted criticism from some health providers.
General practitioners have launched a campaign against the co-payments called CoPayNoWay.
It includes a social media campaign, a website dedicated to co-payment stories and signs in waiting rooms.
Treasurer Joe Hockey has said anyone with a chronic healthcare plan would be exempt from the co-payments.
“If you have a chronic disease or serious affliction that is being managed by the doctor you will not have to pay the co-payment,” he said.
Chronic healthcare plan assessments and subsequent visits are billed under different Medicare item numbers to general GP consultations and will not attract the $7 fee.