TWO key features stand out for rural health in this year's federal budget, according to SA's rural doctors.
The redeveloped incentives program has been welcomed by rural GPs, however the ongoing freeze on Medicare rebates means patients will end up with more out-of-pocket expenses.
With Medicare rebates for GPs remaining frozen for another three years, Rural Doctors Association of SA president Scott Lewis said it would effectively be a reduction in the amount of patient rebates.
"It's pretty much an introduction of the (GP) co-payment by stealth, because practice costs are still going to increase," he said.
"If our income is effectively decreasing with the Medicare rebate freeze then we're going to have to charge patients more."
There was good news for rural doctors, however, with a change in the General Practice Rural Incentives Program for 2015-16.
It will be redeveloped to better support delivery of medical services in rural and remote communities and financial support will be targeted to doctors practicing in areas that experience the greatest difficulty in attracting and retaining doctors.
"It is a positive," Mr Lewis said.
"Previously, there's been a system whereby incentives have been paid to people living in remarkably non-remote and non-rural areas like Port Macquarie, NSW, and Launceston, Tas - towns with more than 100,000 people in them.
"Under the rejigging of the program those towns are going to lose their incentives and there's going to be an increase in incentives paid to more remote communities."
The new program will see the same amount of doctors supported by the program - however funds will be redistributed.
Mr Lewis said RDASA was still disappointed that the Prevocational General Practice Placements Program had been cut last year and would not be thrown a lifeline this year.
"That was a program whereby junior doctors were able to go and spend time in general practice," he said.
"It provided a pathway and experiential learning in general practice and we know from data it was actually encouraging people to go and work in the country."
The federal government's commitment of $20 million for the Royal Flying Doctor Service was met with strong support from RDASA.
Mr Lewis said funding for the National Drugs Program, with a particular focus on ice addiction, would be a "very useful" commitment from a mental health point of view, "as long as it does get rolled out into rural areas".