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.<\/p>\n
The disheartening figure comes despite repeated promises from the Albanese government<\/a> that patients only need a Medicare card to see a doctor.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Another 24 per cent said they had been able to access treatment but had struggled to pay for it.<\/p>\n Just 55 per cent of Australians said they had always been able to get the affordable care they needed.<\/p>\n The figures show an increase since April, the last time the question was asked<\/a>, when 20 per cent said they had delayed treatment and 22 per cent struggled to pay.<\/p>\n At that time, 58 per cent of people had said they always had affordable access to healthcare when they needed it.<\/p>\n That figure has since fallen by three points.<\/p>\n It comes despite Prime Minister Anthony Albanese repeatedly staking Labor\u2019s political credibility on healthcare affordability during the 2025 election.<\/p>\n Mr Albanese told voters they would \u201cjust need your Medicare card\u201d to see a GP as he pledged an $8.5 billion package to restore bulk billing rates.<\/p>\n At Sky News \/ Daily Telegraph People\u2019s Forum during the campaign, Mr Albanese held up his Medicare card and said: \u201cYou just need your Medicare card not your credit card”.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause Labor created Medicare, we\u2019ll strengthen Medicare and we\u2019ll make sure that in the future, we get those bulk billing rates back up to 90 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n The latest bulk billing rate was 81.4 per cent in January 2026<\/a>, well below its peak of 89 per cent in 2021, before Labor came to power.<\/p>\n