AMA Calls for System-Wide Changes to Improve Specialist Care Access and Affordability
29 Oct 2026
The AMA has called for long-term changes to the healthcare system in two submissions examining access to specialist care and the rising cost of medical consultations. It said the Government’s proposed measures to address high specialist fees did not fully consider the complex reasons behind affordability and access problems.
In its submission to a parliamentary inquiry, the AMA identified specialist workforce shortages, limited capacity in public outpatient services, inadequate Medicare support and problems with private health insurance arrangements as key factors affecting patients.
Evidence from the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority showed that the cost of providing specialist outpatient services had increased significantly in recent years. However, Medicare benefits had not kept pace with the cost of private specialist consultations.
The AMA also warned that Australia could face a significant shortage of specialist doctors in the coming decades unless more training opportunities were created.
It is calling for more specialist training positions, greater investment in training pathways in regional and rural areas, and better coordination of national workforce planning.
The association also wants consistent reporting of public outpatient waiting times across Australia. It said governments do not currently track a substantial part of the patient journey between a GP referral and an appointment with a specialist.
In a separate submission on specialist fees, the AMA urged the Government to consider the broader factors affecting costs, including Medicare rebates that have not kept pace with the cost of providing care, workforce shortages, limited public outpatient services and the influence of private health insurers on patients’ final bills.
The AMA also raised concerns about the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s consultation paper on specialist affordability and access.
According to the association, the department acknowledged limitations in its analysis but did not adequately address them in its proposed policy options. Although the paper recognised that Medicare Benefits Schedule fees may not reflect current costs, some proposals continued to rely on the same benchmarks, fee distributions and specialty rankings.
The AMA said Medicare rebates should not be used as a benchmark for specialist fees because they have fallen behind the actual cost of delivering care.
It pointed to years of Medicare rebate freezes and increases below the Consumer Price Index as reasons to reconsider this approach. The association’s Medicare Gap campaign also highlights the difference between Medicare funding for specialist consultations and the costs of providing those services.
The AMA is asking the Government to review its analysis by comparing similar services and practitioners and excluding bulk-billed services from benchmarks used to assess privately billed care.
It stressed that making specialist care affordable and addressing excessive fees are separate issues that require different policy responses.
The association said feedback from its members helped shape both submissions, including a recent survey on the department’s proposed options.
AMA Calls for System-Wide Changes to Improve Specialist Care Access and Affordability
Sources: Australian Medical Association (AMA), Inquiry into access and affordability of medical specialists; Specialist affordability: options to address excessive fees.