Bulk billing now at doctors discretion

As a pensioner on the DSP, I am soon to be required under the new budget rules to pay $7 to see my doctor. This will add to the $6 prescription fee. I'm already up to nearly $20 just to see him and a couple of prescriptions. Of course I know from my own experience, when you're working $20 is fuck all. But when you're like me and trying to get by on $250 a week after rent, that $20 is looking like an awful lot to pay.

As some consolation, it is actually at the doctors discretion, despite there being a slight encouragement to charge the fee:

Concession card patients and kids under 16 years will only have to pay the contribution for their first 10 visits a year. 

Doctors have discretion to choose who pays the fee, but there is a catch. 

If GPs choose not to charge a patient, they won’t receive their $6.20 bulk billing consultation payment from the government. more

I therefore will be asking my GP about this, relating again the difficult financial position I'm in. I'd encourage all other concession card holders too to speak to their individual doctors about this new fee. I mean my one was bulk billing me when I was working 3 days a week as I told him I couldn't pay the $70 or so to see him. So this isn't all set in stone. There is some humanity left and room to move in the doctor/patient relationship. 

Meanwhile we can all rest assured that the economy has now been saved by charging people $7 to see a doctor :s  Good grief. What a complete and utter waste of time, apart from it needlessly hitting the poor. What possible benefit for the economy could there be from trying to charge pensioners a pissy little amount to see their doctor? How about just buying a few less broken war planes?