That’s the message from Southern NSW Medicare Local chairman Dr Martin Carlson, a GP in Moruya, who says the new $7 co-payment to visit the doctor from July 2015 will increase barriers for people who need health care the most.

“This co-payment will impact our most disadvantaged patients – the homeless, people with drug and alcohol addiction, the chronically unwell, people with a mental illness – and of course that growing demographic, the working poor.

“In a region where 67 per cent of GP visits are bulk billed, my concern is that many people will delay or avoid a general practice visit because they can’t afford the extra costs.

“In southern NSW, and I imagine throughout the country, this model will only serve to push people towards our already overcrowded hospital emergency departments for health care they should be receiving in a general practice setting.

“The government has removed restrictions on state and territory governments from charging patients who turn up to public hospital EDs. This potentially compromises every access point in Australia’s healthcare system.”

Dr Carlson explained that the Federal Government is leaving the burden of the co-payment administration with general practice.

“Medicare payments to GPs will be reduced by $5 per service and it will be up to general practice staff to collect the $7.

“GPs are left with the choice of trying to collect a co-payment from people who can’t afford it, or finding that their general practice becomes financially unsustainable.

“And while I am very supportive of health innovation and research, the Government’s plan to build the “world’s largest medical research fund’’ through a co-payment is just plain wrong in my view.”