bulk bill

English

Alternative forms

• bulk-bill

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Verb

bulk bill (third-person singular simple present bulk bills, present participle bulk billing, simple past and past participle bulk billed)

1. (Australia) To invoice the government or insurer, and not the patient, for medical expenses incurred at a general practitioner or other medical service provider.
   • 1984, Australian House of Representatives, Parliamentary Debates, volume 2, page 1897:

     The front page of the publication alleges:
     A meeting late last year of most local general practitioners decided unanimously that doctors would bulk bill only disadvantaged people, such as pensioners and health care card holders.

   • 2003, Darroch Donald, East Coast Australia‎^[1], page 58:

     Doctors who invoice Medicare directly, so charging the patient nothing on examination, are said to bulk bill Those that don′t bulk bill charge the patient, who then has to reclaim the charge from Medicare.

   • 2007, Sally Ann Young, Government Communication in Australia‎^[2], page 199:

     For example, in one ad, the female voiceover (representing the government) states: ‘We′re giving doctors more incentives to bulk bill. Medicare is now paying them more every time they bulk bill children under sixteen and Commonwealth concession card holders.’

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bulk,‎ bill.

Derived terms

• bulk billing