Federal Health Minister Mark Butler says GPs and practices will receive more incentives to bulk bill patients under an $8.5 billion Medicare investment including patients who don’t have a concession card.

He told Katie Woolf gap fees are rising and people are choosing to not go to the doctors, which is what the funding aims to address.

Asked about the stoush between Australian Health Services Alliances and Healthscope that will see patients without private health cover by March 4, Mr Butler said he has called on them to continue to negotiate, adding that there are some levers he can pull to help settle a deal in the interest of patients if needed.

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