Even wealthy Australians avoiding GP visits as cost of living hurts access to healthcare

Exclusive: NSW Council of Social Services report finds ‘dramatic increase’ in number of people delaying or not seeing GP due to cost

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Even wealthy Australians are cutting back on doctor’s appointments due to the cost of living, with new data showing the proportion of people in New South Wales who put off a GP visit because it was too expensive increased by 246% over the past four years.

A new NSW Council of Social Services (Ncoss) report, based on modelling of Australian Bureau of Statistics data by researchers at the University of Canberra, found healthcare had become less accessible for more people.

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