Bulk billing
Encyclopedia
Bulk billing is a payment option under the Medicare
system of universal health insurance in Australia
. The health service provider, usually a Doctor
is paid 85% of the scheduled fee directly by the government by billing the patient via their Medicare card
. The service provider receives only 75% of the scheduled fee but avoids the costs and risks of billing and debt collection. It could be described as a form of factoring.
The alternative to bulk billing is for the service provider to collect the fee directly from the patient (there is no restriction on this fee, which is determined by the provider). In order to claim the Medicare rebate, the patient then has to visit a Medicare office, fill out a claim form (for unpaid claims and claims where cash is not being refunded) and claim 75% of the scheduled fee from the government (100% for general practitioner services).
Under Medicare, it is not permissible to charge the patient a co-payment with bulk billing: a service provider who bulk bills for a service may not charge the patient further for that service.
Service providers may choose whether or not to use bulk billing. Most general practitioner services are bulk-billed, but less so in more affluent areas and in rural, regional and remote areas of Australia where there is a greater shortage of doctors and health care services. The key purpose of bulk billing is to provide an economic constraint on medical fees and charges.
Medicare (Australia)
Medicare is Australia's publicly funded universal health care system, operated by the government authority Medicare Australia. Medicare is intended to provide affordable treatment by doctors and in public hospitals for all resident citizens and permanent residents except for those on Norfolk Island...
system of universal health insurance in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The health service provider, usually a Doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
is paid 85% of the scheduled fee directly by the government by billing the patient via their Medicare card
Medicare card (Australia)
An Australian Medicare Card is a green coloured plastic card which identifies the persons listed on it as eligible for rebates under the Australian Medicare system when they are treated privately by a doctor with a provider number...
. The service provider receives only 75% of the scheduled fee but avoids the costs and risks of billing and debt collection. It could be described as a form of factoring.
The alternative to bulk billing is for the service provider to collect the fee directly from the patient (there is no restriction on this fee, which is determined by the provider). In order to claim the Medicare rebate, the patient then has to visit a Medicare office, fill out a claim form (for unpaid claims and claims where cash is not being refunded) and claim 75% of the scheduled fee from the government (100% for general practitioner services).
Under Medicare, it is not permissible to charge the patient a co-payment with bulk billing: a service provider who bulk bills for a service may not charge the patient further for that service.
Service providers may choose whether or not to use bulk billing. Most general practitioner services are bulk-billed, but less so in more affluent areas and in rural, regional and remote areas of Australia where there is a greater shortage of doctors and health care services. The key purpose of bulk billing is to provide an economic constraint on medical fees and charges.