The federal government could face another fierce campaign from one of the nation's most powerful lobby groups if it doesn't lift its freeze on doctors' rebates before the next election.
The Australian Medical Association has used its annual national conference in Brisbane to take another swipe at the government, in the group's campaign against a four-year indexation freeze on the rebate Medicare pays doctors.
President Brian Owler used his opening address on Friday to call for both sides of politics to lift the "damaging" freeze which could force GPs to start passing costs on to their patients, amounting to a so-called co-payment by stealth.
He reminded delegates of the AMA's success in bringing down the government's previous attempts at introducing a GP co-payment.
"We swung into campaign mode and GPs across the country galvanise into action," he said.
The government and the AMA are engaged in continuing talks over the freeze.
Health Minister Sussan Ley has said she wants it lifted as soon as possible, but other savings need to be found before that can happen.
But the AMA is set to ramp up its campaign against the freeze if it isn't lifted before the federal election, due in 2016.
Associate Professor Owler says the freeze will affect the viability of practices, making it hard for GPs to invest in new staff or equipment, and potentially forcing them to pass costs on to patients.
The freeze, which also affects specialists, could also result in higher private health insurance premiums, he said.
"I don't think the government understood the consequences of the indexation freeze, particularly in relation to private health insurance rates," Prof Owler told reporters in Brisbane.
"As that becomes more evident, I'm very hopeful the freeze will be lifted."
The health department's own modelling suggests the freeze will leave GPs $2.10 worse off by 2018 and Ms Ley won't rule out the possibility of those costs being passed on to patients.
She told the conference changes needed to be made to Medicare and public hospital funding before the system reached a crisis point.
She denied the government was "pulling the rug" out from public hospitals, but said efficiencies needed to be found with unnecessary presentations costing $3 billion a year.
Prof Owler said he believed the freeze could potentially be lifted if savings are found through the coming Medicare Benefits Schedule review.
Opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King said Labor in government froze indexation for eight months as a temporary measure that was never intended to continue.
Ms King told reporters in Brisbane she'd already seen examples of practices that have started charging co-payments as a result of the current freeze.
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