Patients may not see benefits of $8.5 billlion bulk billing boost for four years

Patients may not see the benefits of higher bulk billing for years despite $8.5 billion being tipped into the GP subsidy scheme from November.

The health department conceded overnight it expected the benefits of that money to take about four years to flow through.

Officials also told a late-night senate hearing average out of pocket costs to see a GP will continue to rise under the signature election policy.

The federal government promised at the federal election to lift the incentive for GPs to bulk bill patients, which was quickly matched by the Coalition.

Labour said the $8.5 billion promise would increase bulk billing rates to 90 per cent by 2030, meaning that nine out of ten GP attendances would not require patients to pay a fee.

The bulk billing rate over the last financial year