Bulk Billing Tracker

Bulk Billing Tracker / All areas / New South Wales

Bulk billing in Lake Macquarie - East

In Apr–Jun 2026, 71.2% of GP visits by people living in Lake Macquarie - East were bulk billed. That ranks 280th of Australia’s 332 local areas and is 16.3 percentage points below New South Wales overall (87.5%).

Bulk billed
71.2%Australia 84.1%
Change on a year
+3.2 ptsfrom 68.0%
Gap fee
$61.48when not bulk billed
Cost per visit
$17.71Australia $9.60

Since Jul–Sep 2021

Share of GP visits bulk billed, by quarter

60%80%100%202220242026NSW87.5%Australia84.1%Lake Macquarie …71.2%

A year earlier the rate was 68.0%. On the ABS disadvantage index (SEIFA 2021), Lake Macquarie - East sits in the middle fifth of areas for disadvantage. Visits are counted by where the patient lives, not where the clinic is.

Over the past year, residents had about 5.8 Medicare-funded GP visits each, against 6.5 across Australia. This uses 2021 Census population, so it runs high in fast-growing areas, and it leaves out care that isn’t billed to Medicare, such as many remote and Aboriginal community-controlled clinics.

“Gap fee” is the average paid out of pocket for a visit that was not bulk billed. “Cost per visit” spreads it across every GP visit, counting bulk-billed visits as $0. Source: Medicare quarterly statistics, SA3 summary.

Suburbs and postcodes in this area

Argenton, Belmont, Belmont North, Belmont South, Bennetts Green, Blacksmiths, Boolaroo, Cams Wharf, Cardiff, Cardiff Heights, Cardiff South, Catherine Hill Bay, Caves Beach, Charlestown, Croudace Bay, Dudley, Eleebana, Floraville, Garden Suburb, Gateshead, Glendale, Highfields, Hillsborough, Jewells, Kahibah, Lakelands, Little Pelican, Macquarie Hills, Marks Point, Moonee, Mount Hutton, Murrays Beach, Nords Wharf, Pelican, Pinny Beach, Redhead, Speers Point, Swansea, Swansea Heads, Tingira Heights, Valentine, Warners Bay, Whitebridge, Windale.

Postcodes: 2280, 2281, 2282, 2284, 2285, 2290, 2306.

Suburbs and postcodes are matched to the area that contains their centre, so places on a boundary may also belong to a neighbour.

Finding a clinic that bulk bills

These are rates for the whole area, not for any one clinic. Ask when you book, or search healthdirect’s service finder, which lists practices and how they bill. More on getting bulk billed.

See Lake Macquarie - East on the map →

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