Aussie women told us exactly how much they pay to visit their GP.

A trip to the doctor is a part of life and often a necessity. But for some, that necessity comes with a hefty price tag.

We rely on general practitioners a lot, GPs continuing to be the most common health professionals seen by patients in 2022 to 2023.

However, the proportion of people who couldn't see their preferred GP on one or more occasions increased to 36.3 per cent in 2023 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The reasoning often comes down to cost, availability and access.

Wait times are also increasing. The report showed 29.6 per cent of people are waiting longer than they feel acceptable for a GP appointment, particularly impacting those living in outer regional and remote areas.

Watch: Addressing gender inequities in healthcare. Post continues below.

And we need to talk about the elephant in the room... bulk billing.

Less than one in four Australian general practices provide bulk billing to all patients. Cleanbill, an online healthcare directory, released a report which found that 500 Aussie clinics switched to private billing in the past year.

Bulk billing is where the cost of a consultation, fully or in part, is paid for by Medicare. Access to bulk billing over the years has depended mostly on whereabouts you live and the options available to you. But in recent months, many Aussies are reporting that if they did once have access to bulk billing, they no longer do, or it's becoming far more limited.

The report found the rate of bulk billing nationally has dropped to 23.6 per cent in 2024. Out-of-pocket costs have risen, and it's Tasmanian patients that are typically paying the most for a visit to their GP.

These stats aren't being brought up as a dig towards GPs. If anything, many believe it's up to Medicare and the government to make sure bulk billing options are available, especially given the rise in cost of living and maintaining access to healthcare. Many Australian families doing it tough can attest to this.

To get a broader picture of how much it costs to see a GP these days, Mamamia asked Aussie women how much they pay to visit their doctor and how they feel about it. Over 250 responded. Here's what some of them had to say.

10 Aussie women share their stories.

Name: Katie.

The cost to visit your GP: Free, bulk billed.

The times per year you see your GP on average: Five times via Telehealth, five times in person.

The average wait time: Easy, 10 minutes waiting in the doctor's office usually.

Where you live: Suburbs.

"My medication costs me $150 every three months. It's pricey, but this medication literally saves my life (it's mental-health related). My GP is someone I really value and trust, and thank god he bulk bills. At a previous practice he was working at he was unable to bulk bill and it was so frustrating from a financial perspective. Now he has his own practice, and for patients he has had for over five years he bulk bills for them. I appreciate it very much, especially given the cost of my meds is enough money stress."

Name: Kath.

The cost to visit your GP: Up to $85.

The times per year you see your GP on average: Six to eight times.

The average wait time: A month to get an appointment.

Where you live: Regions.

"I live in a regional area, and my doctor's surgery is the only one in town. Their books are closed, so they can't take on any new patients," says Kath. "There can be long wait times when trying to lock in an appointment, but if my concern is super urgent I can generally see another doctor at the same surgery practice. I pay about $60 a month for my medications, so having access to a regular GP is pretty important."

Name: Jane.

The cost to visit your GP: $125.

The times per year you see your GP on average: Four times in person, a few via Telehealth too.

The average wait time: Can get an appointment within the week.

Where you live: Rural.

"My GP is in the city and I live six hours away. The one in my town can take weeks to get an appointment and most doctors here don't take new patients. I also have struggled to find a female GP I like here in town. So I went back to my old GP in the city. I also have to factor in planning other appointments around my city GP visits, for example I make a work trip out of it."

Name: Charlie.

The cost to visit your GP: $95 out-of-pocket for a 15 minute appointment.

The times per year you see your GP on average: Monthly.

The average wait time: About one to two weeks for an appointment.

Where you live: Inner city.

"I am in a position of privilege — I live in the inner city with the income to pay for a reliable GP and for my medication which is about $20 per month. But even where we live it's becoming harder and harder to get in at short notice. I work for the public hospital sector in ED and I can categorically say the GP situation and funding needs urgent and dramatic attention as hospitals are crippled. GPs are struggling and many of my GP friends are leaving the profession. We do our best in the public hospitals but the government needs to act urgently and support GPs to take the burden off ED departments."

Name: Renae.

The cost to visit your GP: $50.

The times per year you see your GP on average: 12 times.

The average wait time: Easy.

Where you live: Suburbs.

"When I was seeing a doctor every week for medication to boost my breastmilk supply, she would bulk bill me. But there was a couple of times where I wasn't bulk billed and I didn't want to risk paying more money when I was on maternity leave at half pay. So I drove 20 minutes each week to go to a doctor that bulk billed. I feel there needs to be grace for patients who have to have regular GP appointments, particularly for straightforward script refills. I don't believe this should come out of the GPs pockets though — Medicare needs to cover more," says Renae.

"I know my immediate family in Tasmania say going to the doctor is very expensive. My sister wants to give her seven-year-old son the flu shot but pharmacies don't have availability and a GP appointment would be $70 plus the cost for flu shot."

Name: Farida.

The cost to visit your GP: $66 after the Medicare rebate.

The times per year you see your GP on average: Every three months.

The average wait time: Days or weeks.

Where you live: Inner city.

"There's always a wait time and I haven't found a GP I gel with yet. Plus, it's very hard to see the same GP for urgent issues. It's expensive and I rarely feel like I'm getting a thorough review of my issues. I've tried finding better options but they all feel the same."

Name: Isabelle.

The cost to visit your GP: Free, bulk billed.

The times per year you see your GP on average: Three times.

The average wait time: Three to four weeks for an appointment.

Where you live: Regions.

"I'm really glad I have found a bulk billing private practice service. A big issue I have found is access to urgent appointments when unexpectedly ill. I live regionally and our after hours urgent centre cannot cope with demand."

Name: Erika.

The cost to visit your GP: $190, I get $70 back on Medicare.

The times per year you see your GP on average: Four times.

The average wait time: Easy.

Where you live: Suburbs.

"I have endo and to see my specialist I have to go and get referrals every so often as they run out after a while. Having to pay to get that referral from my GP is adding to the cozzie-livs stress. I do love my GP, and she is definitely worth the cost. I just make a conscious decision not to make too many appointments with her from a financial perspective, and it's a shame that money is my main motivator rather than my health."

Name: Maxi.

The cost to visit your GP: $80.

The times per year you see your GP on average: Two times for me, around eight times between my kids and having to take them to the GP.

The average wait time: Easy to get an appointment, but 45 to 60 minutes waiting in the doctor's office usually. 

Where you live: Rural.

"I previously lived in a much smaller town and was lucky enough to have access to a bulk billing practice that had amazing availability. They almost always had an appointment available within two days. Now in the bigger rural centre I live in, I have to pay $80 out of pocket because no other practices are accepting new patients, and the doctors only last a few months and then leave. Every time I go my appointment feel rushed, and it feels like there's no quality of care. I have also started using virtual doctors' appointments (Hola Health, Instant Script, health hotlines) wherever possible to reduce cost and time attending GPs unnecessarily."

Name: Zoe.

The cost to visit your GP: The out-of-pocket fee is $45 on weekdays and $60 on weekends.

The times per year you see your GP on average: Four to six times. 

The average wait time: Usually easy to get an appointment promptly.

Where you live: Inner city.

"I feel so grateful to have a GP I trust. I would love to access/pay for a shorter script refill appointment rather than a standard consultation to simply renew a script. The cost does add up, and on top of consult fees I am paying around $200 per month on my medication. I would also love to see mental health services become easier and cheaper to access, like not having to go down the GP referral and Mental Health Plan route as this cost adds up on top of psychologist bills."

How much do you pay to visit your GP? How do you feel about it? Visit the link in bio for the full story.

Feature Image: Canva.