Health Minister Greg Hunt has sought to defend the government's record on healthcare, arguing that more Australians were being bulk-billed by their GP than under Labor.

"That has seen 88.7 per cent of people year-to-date receive their GP services for free. That is 6.7 per cent higher than when we came to government," he claimed.

Indeed, Medicare data shows that the bulk-billing rate for services increased by 8.2 per cent, or 6.7 percentage points, to reach 88.7 per cent in March 2021.

However, Mr Hunt did not refer to the proportion of services that were bulk billed, but to the share of patients.

Patient numbers would be lower, as people may receive multiple medical services during a single visit, with only some being fully subsidised by the government.

As one expert explained, bulk-billing is used more frequently by particular groups, so the rate for services could increase without necessarily benefiting additional people.

While there is limited public data showing the number of people who are bulk billed, there is some material available on the share of patients who were entirely bulk billed by their GP.

This rate has also been rising, although the available data runs only to 2018-19, when it reached 66.3 per cent of patients.

Mr Hunt attributed the increase in services to Coalition policies, and there was indeed a surge in bulk-billing after the government introduced telehealth items to the MBS as part of its response to the pandemic.

However, it's less clear what credit the government can take for the years prior to 2020.

Under the Coalition, the bulk-billed services rate grew by progressively smaller amounts in every year from 2014. This was also the case for the share of fully bulk-billed patients between 2015 and 2019.

Experts consulted by Fact Check pointed to the government's Medicare rebate freeze as a key reason for the slowdown in growth.

Verdict: Mr Hunt's claim is over-egged.