Govt to lift Medicare rebate freeze

The controversial Medicare rebate freeze that has plagued the federal government is set to be lifted in Tuesday's budget.

The federal government will reportedly scrap its controversial Medicare rebate freeze in Tuesday night's budget.

Treasurer Scott Morrison was widely expected to tinker with the freeze in the 2017/18 budget after the unpopular policy almost cost the coalition the 2016 federal election but Sky News reports it will be completely lifted.

The federal government has faced a fierce campaign from doctors since the 2016/17 budget when it extended an indexation freeze on the Medicare rebate it pays for services like GP visits to 2020, prompting warnings of an end to bulk-billing and rising health costs for patients.