The $20 cut to the Medicare rebate for some visits to the doctors may have been dropped but new Health Minister Sussan Ley is warning "some patients" will eventually have to pay more when they see their GP.

Ms Ley blitzed media airwaves on Friday morning to defend the government's decision to abandon its plan to slash the Medicare rebate for short doctor's appointments by $20.

But the minister said the government would still introduce a "price signal" on top of the $5 GP co-payment due to begin in July but promised to consult doctors better about future changes.

The government's decision to scrap its $20 cut to the rebate came just 24 hours after Tony Abbott publicly defended the policy, saying it would encourage GPs to spend more time with patients.