Rural doctors have welcomed a $65 million boost to bulk billing rebates in the bush.
"This is going to be a real game changer for rural and remote healthcare," Rural Doctors Association president Dr John Hall said.
Doctors will get extra Medicare payments of up to $12.35 per consultation if their clinic is in a rural or remote area.
Importantly, the federal government funding differentiates large regional centres such as Newcastle and Cairns from much smaller towns, such as Orange, Shepparton and Mt Gambier.
"We've been calling for this change for about 20 years," Dr Hall says.
"A lot of programs designed to fund rural health actually include large regional towns, where you don't get the same bang for your buck, and you're not targeting the worst disadvantage."
Dr Hall says the changes will improve the finances of medical clinics, and ultimately mean better healthcare for rural and remote communities.
More than 12,000 rural and remote GPs will be eligible for the higher bulk billing incentive.
Federal Regional Health Minister Mark Coulton said doctors in the bush shoulder more responsibility and deal with higher rates of chronic disease.
Average bulk billing rates are higher than 80 per cent in many regional, rural, and remote areas, but the government says there are even more clinics that could offer bulk billing.
Clinics outside the big cities currently get 150 per cent of the base rebate amount.
This amount will increase on a sliding scale based on remoteness, with locations classed as "very remote" to receive 190 per cent of the base rebate.
