Cancer patients will get free medical appointments and scans if a Labor Government is elected

Labor has pledged to make treatment free for cancer patients if it wins the federal election, saving them big bucks. And there could be more health perks to come when election campaigning kicks off.

Labor has pledged to spend more than $1 billion to eliminate crippling out of pocket medical fees that are forcing cancer patients to raid their superannuation and crowdfund to pay for treatment.

Cancer patients were promised free specialist consultations and free scans by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten in his budget rely speech.

Mr Shorten also guaranteed he would subsidise every medicine recommended by the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee to cut cancer patients bills.

And there is more to come for cancer patients with the Opposition Leader leaving open the door for a further $1.3 billion in spending on cancer patients to be announced during the election campaign.

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Cancer patients were promised free specialist consultations and free scans by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten in his budget rely speech. Picture: iStock

“Scott Morrison has cut $3 billion from the pockets of patients with his Medicare freeze and $715 million from public hospitals – locking in further cuts until 2025,” he said.

“Labor will reverse the Liberals’ cuts to health, address rising out-of-pocket costs, fund the best cancer care and provide the support Australians need during one of the toughest periods in their lives,” he said.

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Mr Shorten also guaranteed he would subsidise every medicine recommended by the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee to cut cancer patients bills. Picture: Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images

Australians are spending $30 billion a year out of their own pocket on medical bills as Medicare rebates are frozen and health fund rebates fail to keep pace with rising costs.

Cancer patients are particularly hard hit facing bills of up to $300 every time they consult oncologists and surgeons for cancer treatment while the Medicare rebate has been frozen at just $72 since 2014.

To ease their pain Labor said it would raise the Medicare rebate for these cancer consultations.

The Medicare Cancer Plan will cover an additional 2,000 appointments a day – three million specialist consults with no out-of-pocket costs, Mr Shorten said.

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SAustralians are spending $30 billion a year out of their own pocket on medical bills. Picture: iStock

However, patients will have to make sure their doctor bulk bills to benefit from this measure, where the specialist does not bulk bill the Medicare rebate will be smaller and patients will still face out of pocket expenses.

Cancer patients would also get access to free X-rays, ultrasounds, mammograms, CAT scans and PET scans under a Labor plan to lift the Medicare rebate.

But again this will only be available where providers bulk bill patients.

Medicare rebates for scans have been frozen for over 20 years until the Morrison Government announced last week it would finally begin indexing them to inflation.

A Labor Government would also lift restrictions that currently prevent 500 MRI machines from accessing Medicare rebates allowing them to provide Medicare funded scans for cancer patients.

Nearly half of Australian cancer patients pay more than $5000 in out-of-pocket costs over the course of their diagnosis and treatment.

And more than one in four pay more than $10,000 out of their own pocket.

A News Corp investigation last year found more than 15,000 patients have had to draw down more than $290 million in superannuation to fund these exorbitant medical bills and other out of pocket expenses.

Other patients have raided their retirement nest eggs, remortgaged their homes or resorted to crowd funding to pay the bills.

One in two Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85 and it carries some of the biggest out-of-pocket costs in the health system.