Bulk-billing incentive payments reach $192 million in first eight months
23 Oct 2026
General practices and GPs received $192.3 million through the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Payment (BBPIP) scheme during the 2025–26 financial year, according to the latest Services Australia annual report.
Link is from RACGP.
By the end of June 2026, 3,600 practices had registered for the scheme, which began in November 2025. The payments covered its first eight months of operation.
On average, each registered practice received $53,416. The funding is shared equally between the practice and the GP.
In February, the first payment figures showed that $61.4 million had been distributed across Australia during the scheme’s first two months.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright welcomed the latest figures, describing them as positive.
He told newsGP that while the scheme may not suit every practice, it was encouraging to see participating clinics benefit financially.
MyMedicare also recorded strong growth during the same period. Patient registrations more than doubled, rising from 3.2 million to 6.5 million.
The number of practices registered with MyMedicare increased from 6,700 to 7,600 by the end of June.
Dr Wright said the benefits of MyMedicare had not always been clear to patients and practices. However, expanded chronic disease management support and additional bulk-billing incentives were helping make the scheme more valuable.
He also noted that regulatory requirements had contributed to the increase in registrations. He said further funding would help support practices and their registered patients.
The annual report showed that the Workforce Incentive Program – Practice Stream received $545.7 million in government funding. The program supports eligible general practices to deliver care through multidisciplinary teams.
The broader Practice Incentives Program received $429 million.
Funding for the General Practice in Aged Care Incentive (GPACI) also increased by more than 20% over the financial year. By the end of June, 2,100 eligible practices were registered, with $45 million paid through the scheme.
Practices must participate in MyMedicare to qualify for BBPIP payments and related GPACI incentives.
The report also recorded 630,000 new Medicare enrolments during 2025–26, bringing total enrolments to 27.8 million by the end of June.
Dr Wright said the figures highlighted the growing use of Medicare and the importance of properly funding GPs to meet patients’ healthcare needs.
Medicare benefits totalled $35.4 billion for the financial year. However, the report did not provide a separate figure for benefits paid for non-referred GP services.
Services Australia also reported $20.7 billion in Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) payments, covering 233.6 million services during the year.
Bulk-billing incentive payments reach $192 million in first eight months
Source: Services Australia Annual Report 2025–26