Labor has failed to deliver on its core election promise to make it easier to see a doctor, with one in five people delaying medical treatment because of cost or access.
The disheartening figure comes despite repeated promises from the Albanese government that patients only need a Medicare card to see a doctor.
The latest Sky News Pulse / YouGov poll found 21 per cent of people said they or a family member had delayed treatment in the past 12 months because of access or cost.
Another 24 per cent said they had been able to access treatment but had struggled to pay for it.
Just 55 per cent of Australians said they had always been able to get the affordable care they needed.
The figures show an increase since April, the last time the question was asked, when 20 per cent said they had delayed treatment and 22 per cent struggled to pay.
At that time, 58 per cent of people had said they always had affordable access to healthcare when they needed it.
That figure has since fallen by three points.
It comes despite Prime Minister Anthony Albanese repeatedly staking Labor’s political credibility on healthcare affordability during the 2025 election.
Mr Albanese told voters they would “just need your Medicare card” to see a GP as he pledged an $8.5 billion package to restore bulk billing rates.
At Sky News / Daily Telegraph People’s Forum during the campaign, Mr Albanese held up his Medicare card and said: “You just need your Medicare card not your credit card”.
“Because Labor created Medicare, we’ll strengthen Medicare and we’ll make sure that in the future, we get those bulk billing rates back up to 90 per cent.”
The latest bulk billing rate was 81.4 per cent in January 2026, well below its peak of 89 per cent in 2021, before Labor came to power.
“I want every Australian to know they only need their Medicare card, not their credit card, to receive the health care they need,” he said after delivering the $8.5 billion package.
Health Minister Mark Butler recently applauded the government’s efforts, saying more people were “finding it easier to find a bulk billing doctor”.
“We promised Australians more bulk billing and that is what we have delivered,” he said in February this year.
Yet the latest poll suggests affordability pressures remain entrenched for many Australians, particularly among lower socioeconomic groups.
Working-class Australians recorded the worst outcomes in the latest survey, with just 35 per cent saying they had always been able to access affordable care.
Another 32 per cent of working-class respondents said they struggled to pay for treatment while 33 per cent said they or a family member had delayed care altogether.
A January survey from healthcare directory Cleanbill found bulk-billing clinics still comprised just 40 per cent of total practices nationwide.
At the 60 per cent of clinics not bulk billing, average out-of-pocket costs had risen from $43.38 to $49.23.