Guide to fees and costs

Australians have access to a world class healthcare system through Medicare. Your GP is best placed to support you with your healthcare needs, including if you need to see a specialist.

What we mean by fees and costs

On the Medical Costs Finder website, a medical ‘fee’ refers to the amount charged for a medical service by a general practitioner (GP) or medical specialist.

The amount you must pay for the medical fee is called an ‘out-of-pocket cost’. This also can be called an ‘out-of-pocket’, ‘patient payment’, ‘patient contribution’, or a ‘gap payment’. Fees are set by medical providers.

’Bulk billing’ refers to a system where medical providers may opt to bill Medicare directly for services provided to their patients. If you are ‘bulk billed’ by your provider then you do not have pay any out-of-pocket costs. Bulk billing is a way to make care more accessible and affordable to patients.

See the glossary of terms for more definitions of the terms on the website.

Seeing your GP

There are thousands of GP practices across Australia that allow you to access primary care. A good place to start is the Healthdirect website which helps you find GP practices that operate close to you. You can also use the Healthdirect website to filter for practices that bulk bill.

Before going to your GP, you can call ahead to confirm their operating hours and:

• whether they offer bulk billing
• what potential out-of-pocket costs are
• what Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS) item numbers are likely to be claimed.