Government stands firm on bulk-billing

The federal government is standing firm on its plan to remove bulk-billing incentives for pathology services.

The announcement, part of the mid-year federal budget update, has angered the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, who say laboratories will unlikely be able to absorb the costs.

But Health Minister Sussan Ley is defending the decision, telling ABC radio "I don't expect any changes to this policy".

Ms Ley implored Labor to back the plan, saying if the opposition doesn't it needs to reveal its own savings to keep health spending sustainable.

She accepted it was a "tough call", but said the sector is highly corporatised and highly competitive.

"We are not here for the bottom line of companies, we are here for patients."

The government doesn't dictate what people are charged, she insisted.

"I have every right to be cranky about the suggestions that we are going to reduce payments to patients, make life more difficult when it comes to their imaging and their tests."

Labor's health spokeswoman Catherine King was pleased Ms Ley had conceded some patients may be worse off.

But she said the government was taking a "very big gamble", in some instances with people's lives.

"I don't think that the pathologists and the diagnostic imagers, having $650 million ripped out of their businesses, out of the goodness of their hearts, are just going to say we'll let that go," Ms King told Sky News.

The opposition will try to use every option it has to oppose the measure in the Senate.