Living Cost Crunch Forces More Australians to Skip Doctor Appointments

An increasing number of Australians have delayed or skipped doctor visits in the past year due to high living costs and rising appointment prices. According to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the percentage of Australians who postponed or skipped GP (general practitioner) appointments because of high prices doubled from 3.5 to 7 percent in the 2022-23 financial year. Other health services also saw a noticeable increase in the number of people delaying or abandoning appointments. “In 2022-23, data showed that 10.5 percent of people said cost was a reason for putting off or not seeing a medical specialist when needed, up from 8 percent in 2021-22,” ABS head of health statistics Robert Long said....