Thousands of Australians are being asked to pay membership fees to their GP in order to access bulk-billed medical care.
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TVTranscript
00:00What we know is that two years ago, there were barely any membership clinics in Australia.
00:07We now know there are almost 100 clinics across the country which are charging membership
00:11fees for people to be able to access bulk build services.
00:15The average charge is about $70, but it can be much higher.
00:19So here in Mildura in northwest Victoria, there's a clinic which is charging $220 for
00:24one person to access 12 months of bulk build medical care, or $330 for a family.
00:30Now the issue is that's a large upfront cost for somebody who's struggling with the cost
00:34of living, and it's also a charge for something that shouldn't have a charge associated with
00:39it.
00:40According to Medicare rules, there should be no out-of-pocket costs for a bulk build
00:43service.
00:44Now we've spoken to patients who, some of them have said they can't afford to pay that
00:50price to access bulk billing, and we've also spoken to patients who say there are very
00:55few bulk build services available, and they're able to afford that cost, and it is the most
01:00affordable option for them.
01:02Now the federal government says it is looking into this issue.
01:06It says any clinic which is charging a fee to access bulk build services is breaching
01:11Medicare rules, and it is taking this allegation seriously.