About Subsidised Health™
Subsidised Health™ is a satirical website that explores the economics of Australia’s healthcare rebate system through the metaphor of a Government Health Gift Card.
The site is not affiliated with any government department, agency, health fund, or political party. It does not provide medical or financial advice.
Why does this exist?
Australia’s healthcare rebate — the amount the government pays towards a GP consultation — was frozen from 2014 to 2020. Since the freeze lifted, the schedule fee has been adjusted, but not to the level it would have reached if indexed to CPI.
Unlike electricity tariffs (set by independent regulators) or the minimum wage (set by the Fair Work Commission), the healthcare schedule fee is set unilaterally by the government. There is no independent pricing authority.
The result is a growing gap between what the government pays and what it actually costs to provide care. GPs who bulk bill absorb this gap. GPs who don’t pass it to patients. Either way, the system incentivises shorter consultations, discourages continuity of care, and leaves significant per-patient work — documentation, authority calls, referral coordination, results review — completely unpaid.
This site presents those facts through the lens of satire, because sometimes the most effective way to explain a broken system is to describe it as if it were a product feature.
Data sources
- Schedule fees: MBS Online (Department of Health and Aged Care)
- CPI data: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), CPI All Groups
- Typical market fees: Approximate figures informed by the Medical Costs Finder
- Bulk billing data: AIHW — Bulk billing of GP attendances over time
Disclaimer
Subsidised Health™ is a satirical commentary on Australia’s healthcare subsidy system. It is not affiliated with any government department, agency, or health fund. No real financial advice is provided. All figures are approximate and illustrative. If you need actual healthcare information, contact your GP or visit your relevant government health portal.