Psychiatrists and paediatricians among specialists most likely to charge ‘extreme’ fees, thinktank finds

A policy thinktank, the Grattan Institute, revealed that psychiatrists and paediatricians are among the specialists most likely to charge extreme fees, significantly higher than their peers. In 2025, over 2.2 million Australians paid these fees, with psychiatrists and paediatricians leading the charge. The report, titled "Out of control – how to rein in runaway specialist fees," found that these specialists charge patients 104%, 212%, and 203% more than others for consultations, cardiologists, and cardiac procedures respectively.

The report calls for a government intervention where specialists charging more than three times the Medicare schedule fee must repay the government for all rebates claimed that year, keeping the rebates for patients. Currently, fewer than a quarter of initial consultations are bulk-billed, and only a small percentage of consultations in certain specialties are covered.

The lead author of the report, health economist Peter Breadon, emphasized that price transparency alone is not enough to address the issue, which he described as a broken market. He called for better regulation, increased public hospital outpatient clinics, advice lines for GPs, and binding training quotas for medical colleges. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, stated that all options are being considered to tackle the rising specialist fees, and the government has set up a working group to explore reforms.