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Nurses, paramedics and allied health professionals will soon be included in the delivery of primary care as Medicare faces the biggest overhaul in its 40-year history.
Labor is preparing to open up Medicare to a wider range of medical professionals in a bid to save universal health care.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Medicare system was struggling to keep up with demand.
"Too many people are turning up at emergency departments because they can't get access to a GP and to primary health care," he said on Monday.
Health Minister Mark Butler said those forced to show up to emergency departments added extra stress to an already overstretched system.
He suggested the rising cost of seeing a doctor was also part of the problem.
"The average gap fee is now more than the Medicare rebate fee itself," Mr Butler said.
"What this means is that too many Australians simply can't get the care that they need, when and where they need it out in the community."
For several months, the federal government has been working with medical associations and patient advocacy groups on ways to strengthen the Medicare system.
The report is expected to be published within weeks.
Mr Butler said measures such as capping out-of-pocket fees were being considered as part of the process.
"The question is whether on top of the traditional fee for service system, you add some sort of flexible funding that allows doctors to provide wraparound care," he said.
The Liberal Party has taken aim at the cut to subsidised mental health care, waiting lists for surgery at public hospitals, and declining bulk-billing rates.
Asked whether the opposition would support the expansion of Medicare to cover nurses and paramedics, health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said they would support any measures that made access to health care easier.
"But until we address the fundamental driver of the challenges right now, and that is workforce, it's going to be very difficult for us to address some of the other downstream issues," she said.
Nicole Higgins, from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, said any possible reforms to Medicare needed to focus on local doctors being central to patient care.
"I am concerned the government's proposed new model to overhaul Medicare will not go far enough to improve the situation for patients and may make matters worse," she said.
"We need GPs working hand-in-glove with allied health professionals, pharmacists and practice nurses, and they should be supported within general practice, with GPs working as the stewards of patient care."
Australian Medical Association vice-president Danielle McMullen said patients were facing increasing challenges accessing affordable health care.
"The value of the rebate has been kept frozen and indexation has not kept pace, and now we're seeing huge gaps between the cost of high-quality medical service and what the government pays back," Dr McMullen said.
"In addition to long-term reform, we also need to see short-term support for patient rebates, particularly for longer consultations, to make sure those on low-income care continue to access care."
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Law enforcement officials have swarmed and entered a white van that officials suspect was driven by a gunman who opened fire on a southern California ballroom dance studio, killing 10 people and wounding 10 more.
Police surrounded the van with tactical vehicles and bomb squad trucks for hours on Sunday before going in. A person's body appeared to be slumped over the wheel, but authorities did not immediately identify the person in the van.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna previously released photos of an Asian man who was believed to be the suspect, but he did not release the man's name.
The manhunt came after a gunman killed 10 people at a ballroom dance studio late on Saturday amid Lunar New Years celebrations in the predominantly Asian American community of Monterey Park.
He likely tried and failed to target a second dance hall, authorities said.
The van was found in Torrance, another community home to many Asian Americans, about 30 kilometres from that second location.
The shooting sent a wave of fear through Asian American communities in the Los Angeles area and cast a shadow over Lunar New Year festivities around the country. Other cities sent extra officers to watch over the celebrations.
Luna said the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park left five women and five men dead and wounded another 10 people. About 30 minutes later, a man with a gun entered the Lai Lai Ballroom in nearby Alhambra.
Authorities believe the two events are connected. They offered no details about a possible motive.
The suspect entered the Alhambra club with a gun, and people wrested the weapon away from him before he fled, Luna said.
Hours earlier, Luna said authorities were looking for a white van after witnesses reported seeing the suspect flee from Alhambra in such a vehicle.
"We believe there is a person inside of that vehicle. We don't know their condition, but we're going to handle that in safest manner that we possibly can and try and identify that person. Could it be our suspect? Possibly," Luna said.
In response to a question, Luna said it was possible the person barricaded in van was dead.
Members of a SWAT team entered the van a short time later and looked through its contents before walking away. It was unclear what they found.
Authorities said on Sunday they knew the suspect's name but declined to release it. But they did release a photo showing an Asian man wearing glasses and a winter hat.
The massacre was the nation's fifth mass killing this month. It was also the deadliest attack since May 24, when 21 people were killed in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
Monterey Park is a city of about 60,000 people on the eastern edge of Los Angeles and is composed mostly of Asian immigrants from China or first-generation Asian Americans.
The shooting happened downtown where red lanterns decorated the streets for the Lunar New Year festivities. A police car was parked near a large banner that proclaimed "Happy Year of the Rabbit!"
The celebration in Monterey Park is one of California's largest. Two days of festivities, which have been attended by as many as 100,000 people in past years, were planned. But officials cancelled Sunday's events following the shooting.
Chester Chong, chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, described Monterey Park as a quiet, peaceful, beautiful city where everybody knew each other and helped each other.
"People were calling me last night, they were scared this was a hate crime," Chong said.
AP and Reuters
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The hunt for a gunman who killed 10 people at a Los Angeles-area ballroom dance club has ended when authorities found him dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the van he used to flee after people thwarted his attempt at a second shooting.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna identified the man as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran and said no other suspects were at large.
Speaking at a Sunday evening news conference, he said the motive remained unclear for the attack, which wounded 10 more.
Luna did not have the exact ages of the victims but said they all appeared to be over 50. Seven of the wounded people remained in the hospital, he said.
The sheriff said the suspect was carrying what he described as a semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine, and a second handgun was discovered in the van where Tran was found dead.
Also speaking at the news conference, congresswoman Judy Chu said she still has questions about the attack: "What was the motive for this shooter? Did he have a mental illness? Was he a domestic violence abuser? How did he gets these guns and was it through legal means or not?"
Earlier on Sunday, law enforcement officials swarmed and entered the van after surrounding it for for hours before going in.
A person's body appeared to be slumped over the wheel and was later removed from the vehicle.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna previously released photos of an Asian man who was believed to be the suspect.
The manhunt came after the gunman killed 10 people at a ballroom dance studio late on Saturday amid Lunar New Year celebrations in the predominantly Asian American community of Monterey Park.
He likely tried and failed to target a second dance hall, authorities said.
The van was found in Torrance, another community home to many Asian Americans, about 30 kilometres from that second location.
The shooting sent a wave of fear through Asian American communities in the Los Angeles area and cast a shadow over Lunar New Year festivities around the country. Other cities sent extra officers to watch over the celebrations.
Luna said the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park left five women and five men dead and wounded another 10 people.
Then about minutes later, a man with a gun entered the Lai Lai Ballroom in nearby Alhambra.
The suspect entered the Alhambra club with a gun, and people wrested the weapon away from him before he fled, Luna said.
Hours earlier, Luna said authorities were looking for a white van after witnesses reported seeing the suspect flee from Alhambra in such a vehicle.
Members of a SWAT team entered the van a short time later and looked through its contents before walking away. It was unclear what they found.
The massacre was the nation's fifth mass killing this month. It was also the deadliest attack since May 24, when 21 people were killed in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
Monterey Park is a city of about 60,000 people on the eastern edge of Los Angeles and is composed mostly of Asian immigrants from China or first-generation Asian Americans.
The Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park is one of California's largest. Two days of festivities were planned, but officials cancelled Sunday's events following the shooting.
President Joe Biden and Attorney-General Merrick Garland were briefed on the situation, aides said.
Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden were thinking of those killed and wounded, and he directed federal authorities to support the investigation.
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
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A gunman has killed 10 people at a ballroom dance studio amid Lunar New Year celebrations and then probably tried - but failed - to target a second dance hall, authorities say.
An hours-long manhunt led police to surround and enter a white van on Sunday, but it was not immediately clear whether the suspect was inside.
The shooting and manhunt sent a wave of fear through Asian American communities in the Los Angeles area and cast a shadow over Lunar New Year festivities around the country. Other cities sent extra officers to watch over the celebrations.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the shooting at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park on Saturday night left five women and five men dead and wounded another 10 people.
Then 20 to 30 minutes later, a man with a gun entered the Lai Lai Ballroom in nearby Alhambra.
Authorities believe the two events are connected. They offered no details about a possible motive.
The suspect in both cases was described as an Asian male. He entered the Alhambra club with a gun, and people wrested the weapon away from him before he fled, Luna said.
By noon, police in tactical vehicles and bomb-squad trucks surrounded a white van in a car park about 30 kilometres from Alhambra in Torrance, another majority Asian community.
Hours earlier, Luna said authorities were looking for a white van after witnesses reported seeing the suspect flee from Alhambra in such a vehicle.
"We believe there is a person inside of that vehicle. We don't know their condition, but we're going to handle that in safest manner that we possibly can and try and identify that person. Could it be our suspect? Possibly," Luna said.
In response to a question, Luna said it was possible that the person barricaded in van was dead.
Members of a SWAT team entered the van a short time later and looked through its contents before walking away. It was unclear what they found.
Authorities said they knew the suspect's name but declined to release it because it could complicate their ability to apprehend him. But they did release a photo showing an Asian man wearing glasses and a winter hat. The image was taken from the attempted shooting in Alhambra.
The sheriff said investigators believed the gun used in Monterey Park was not an assault rifle.
The massacre was the nation's fifth mass killing this month. It was also the deadliest attack since May 24, when 21 people were killed in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
Monterey Park is a city of about 60,000 people on the eastern edge of Los Angeles and is composed mostly of Asian immigrants from China or first-generation Asian Americans.
The shooting happened in the heart of its downtown where red lanterns decorated the streets for the Lunar New Year festivities. A police car was parked near a large banner that proclaimed "Happy Year of the Rabbit!"
The celebration in Monterey Park is one of California's largest. Two days of festivities, which have been attended by as many as 100,000 people in past years, were planned. But officials cancelled Sunday's events following the shooting.
Chester Chong, chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, described Monterey Park as a quiet, peaceful, beautiful city where everybody knew each other and helped each other.
"People were calling me last night, they were scared this was a hate crime," Chong said at the scene.
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