Government considers new measures to tackle high specialist fees
10 Sep 2026
A new consultation paper from the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DoHDA) outlines several options for addressing what the Government describes as ‘excessive’ specialist fees.
The paper says Australians paid $4.17 billion out of pocket for out-of-hospital specialist services in 2025, an increase of 75.8% since 2019.
The consultation is intended to help the Government develop ways to identify excessive fees and consider measures that could better protect patients.
Six possible approaches are outlined:
- improving fee transparency
- sending ‘nudge letters’ to providers about billing concerns
- using peer assessment
- introducing fee caps for some Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) items
- considering overall billing patterns when assessing fees
- providing practice incentive payments alongside bulk-billing incentives to encourage lower patient costs.
The paper also considers stronger bulk-billing incentives for non-GP specialists. However, it notes that applying an approach similar to the tripled bulk-billing incentive used in general practice would require significant additional government funding.
The consultation paper also outlines possible risks. These include some providers leaving Medicare or reducing their level of bulk billing.
The Government says any approach would need to consider situations where higher fees may have valid reasons, such as complex clinical cases or particular billing arrangements.
The MBS services included in the consultation cover specialist consultations, obstetrics, anaesthesia, pathology, diagnostic imaging, surgery, radiotherapy, therapeutic nuclear medicine and other services. Some procedural services can also be provided by GPs and other eligible health professionals.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said patients need access to affordable, high-quality care and highlighted the importance of transparency around fees and referral options.
The consultation is open until 19 October 2026.
Government considers new measures to tackle high specialist fees
Source: RACGP – newsGP