Labor candidate for the federal seat of Bowman Donisha Duff says Medicare cuts will cause chaos for patients

Labor's Bowman candidate Donisha Duff - who sits on the Metro South Hospital Board - said she feared it would leave many patients unable to afford important surgeries.

"Time and again the LNP have demonstrated they cannot be trusted with Medicare.

"These cuts will result in patients having to rely on the public system which is already under pressure," she said.

The changes under the Medicare Benefits Schedule will affect orthopaedic, general and heart surgery and come into effect on July 1.

More than 900 MBS items will be affected but the Australian Medical Association says few details have been given to doctors and health funds.

AMA president Omar Khorshid said the AMA was concerned that the private healthcare sector - including health funds, hospitals, doctors and patients - would not be ready for the changes due to poor implementation by the government.

"We simply don't know what the rebates from funds will be, as they haven't had the time to prepare and release them in advance - including for surgeries already booked for next month," he said.

Bowman MP Andrew Laming said he regarded Ms Duff as the architect of Redland Hospital disasters and challenged her to a debate.

"The May federal budget increases funding for Medicare by $6 billion over the budget cycle.

"In addition, bulk billing rates are at a record high - 88.7 per cent for the period from July 2020 to March 2021. And it is the coalition government which has established the Medicare guarantee," he said.

The AMA wants a six-month lead time to prepare for the implementation of such changes.

Mr Laming said a MBS review taskforce had provided more than 60 reports outlining almost 1400 recommendations to the government on how to modernise the MBS, align it with contemporary clinical practice, and improve patient outcomes.

"The taskforce is clinician-led, independent of government and comprised of clinicians and consumers.

"Thousands of these changes have been progressively implemented following consultation with the sector and after each budget cycle," he said.

Ms Duff said the cuts were pulling the rug out from under patients, causing pressure on the hip pocket of thousands of Australians and the public health system.

"Whether it be the bungled vaccine rollout, their stubbornness on regional quarantine and now these cuts to Medicare rebates, it is a classic case of the cuts, chaos, and confusion we've come to expect from this LNP government," she said.