In 2019–20, spending on referred medical services decreased in real terms by 0.1% as compared with 2018–19. Spending by the Australian Government increased by 1.7% ($0.3 billion) while non-government entities decreased by 5.5% ($0.3 billion) in 2019-20.
Over the decade, referred medical expenses increased by an average of 3.4% each year. This was as a result of 3.3% average annual growth by the Australian Government and 3.7% by non-government funding.
Note that when the full in-hospital MBS spending has been allocated to public and private hospital areas in future reports, the spending on referred medical services will be reduced accordingly (for Australian Government, Private health insurance providers, and Individuals). See <MBS, PBS in hospitals> for more details.