Labor created Medicare. Only a Labor government will always strengthen and protect Medicare.
Strengthening Medicare
Continuing to improve health services and making medicines cheaper
After a decade of cuts and neglect from the Liberals, the GP bulk billing rate is now improving.
The Albanese Labor government is strengthening Medicare with the biggest ever investment in bulk billing, more urgent care clinics, and cheaper medicines. Including
- making it easier to see a bulk-billing GP
- freezing the cost of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicines
- providing more federal funding to public hospitals
- expanding the range of free mental health services
- increasing the number of Medicare eligible MRI machines
Urgent Care Clinics
More Australians in more locations can now walk into Medicare Urgent Care Clinics - open late seven days a week. And get fully bulk-billed care for urgent, but not life-threatening, conditions. Without having to waiting in busy hospital emergency departments.
Narre Warren Medicare Urgent Care Clinic
60 Victor Crescent, Narre Warren 3805
Tel (03) 9771 2020
Dandenong Priority Primary Care Centre
1/134 Logis Boulevard, Dandenong South 3175
Tel (03) 9579 7933
Cheaper medicines
The Albanese government is delivering cheaper medicines with a one-year freeze on the maximum co-payment for PBS prescriptions. And a five-year freeze for pensioners and other Commonwealth concession cardholders.
More life-changing high-cost medicines are being added to the PBS, including medicines to treat early breast cancer and different types of heart disease.
Radiology and pathology tests
Every comprehensive practice with MRI equipment will be eligible to provide Medicare‑funded services, almost tripling the number of fully Medicare‑eligible MRI machines since Labor was elected to government. This will make MRI tests cheaper and more available, reduce waiting times and help to prevent people being referred for less appropriate tests.
To ensure pathology tests remain bulk-billed, the Labor government is also indexing the Medicare rebates for nuclear medicine imaging and many common medical tests for the first time in 25 years.