Discovery of bulk-billing sign-on fee raises legal questions for multiple medical centres

A report has found almost 100 Australian medical clinics are charging patients sign-on or membership fees to access bulk-billing services. Questions are being raised over the legality of such fees as the Health Insurance Act disallows any additional charges on top of a bulk-billed service. The report by Cleanbill says the exact membership models are not clear. The national rate of bulk billing has already declined significantly. Data shows it has fallen from 82 percent to 76.5 percent between 2022 and 2023.