Dis, thank you for clearly setting out the situation.
Could you comment on Trendee's suggestion that the fee is at least in part designed to reduce over servicing? That seems pretty sensible to me.
My late father used to go to see his GP (bulk billed) about every second week, not at all because there was anything wrong with him, but simply because it was to him a social occasion. All the doctors I know are busy enough without that.
What is being discussed is just what the government is proposing to do, so I assume you're still free to raise the level of any co-payment, Dis?
I note in the report in today's paper that "GPs will be able to waive the $7 payment on compassionate grounds".
Imo there needs to be at least the capacity for hospitals to charge a fee for non-urgent cases to prevent A & E being overwhelmed with people too mean to pay the minimal GP fee.
Where a doctor is happy to provide prescriptions via phone request, then I don't see why there should not be a small charge for that as well. It's another demand on the doctor's time.
