Federal Labor has painted itself as the defenders of Medicare but radiologists have labelled the opposition's policies an insult.
The Australian Diagnostic Imaging Association says it's been left out of a $2.4 billion commitment to unfreeze indexation on the Medicare rebate.
It says Labor's policy ignores the 18-year funding freeze diagnostic imaging has endured, which has seen patient gap payments for scans and x-rays double in the past decade.
The average gap for a CT scan is now $145 and $173 for an MRI and those numbers will double again in the next decade unless funding is restored.
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The association's chief executive Pattie Beerens says Labor leader Bill Shorten has been touring radiology practices since January promising to protect patients from higher out-of-pocket costs.
She's called on him to honour those commitments.
"Labor is being disingenuous by campaigning on a policy platform that they won't commit to," she said.
One radiologist whose practice was visited by Mr Shorten in April said he would not be able to continue operating under a Labor government.
"Patients can't afford to pay the gaps on medical imaging but bulk-billing is becoming impossible," said Dr Joseph Sanki from Sydney's Superscan Radiology.
"For those patients in poorer suburbs around Australia to front up and be asked to pay thousands of dollars, common sense would say it won't happen."
A Labor spokesman said the freeze on diagnostic imaging was put in place by the Howard government.
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Labor was committed to ending the Turnbull government's six-year freeze on general practice to ensure costs weren't preventing Australians from going to the doctor.
"We will only commit to things we can afford and we have made primary care the priority," the spokesman told AAP.
The association this week struck a deal with Health Minister Sussan Ley to pause for six months the government's plans to cut bulk-billing incentive payments to the industry.
Ms Ley has promised an independent evaluation into cost pressures faced by the sector if the government wins on July 2.
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