The federal government has not made the case for raising the pension age to 70, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says.
Mr Shorten on Wednesday met with health-care industry representatives in Melbourne to discuss next week's federal budget.
It is expected to include a new Medicare co-payment for GP visits, measures to rein in spending on medicines and lifting the age pension eligibility age to 70 by 2035.
Mr Shorten said the government could not argue for a rise in the pension age while older unemployed Australians faced hurdles finding work.
Any new policy also needed to take into account workers in physically demanding jobs.
"You can't just treat older people as cost items in a budget," he said.
Mr Shorten said the verdict from the health-care industry meeting was "hands off Medicare".
"The quality of your health care in Australia should depend on your Medicare card not your credit card," he said.
Responding to concerns being raised by Liberal party MPs about the budget, Mr Shorten said: "Tony Abbott - if your own colleagues won't wear your broken promises why should Australians put up with your broken promises."
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