Australians' out-of-pocket healthcare costs are the highest they have been in a decade, while growth in spending from state and federal governments is at a record low.

A report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released on Tuesday shows growth in health spending fell to 1.5 per cent last year – its lowest level in 30 years – while individual Australians' share of spending on health reached its highest level in a decade.

"No justification" for plans to cut Medicare rebate: Brian Owler. Credit:Andrew Meares

"This is the lowest growth the institute has recorded since it began the Health Expenditure Australia series in the mid-1980s, and more than three times lower than the average growth over the last decade," institute director and chief executive David Kalisch said.

And for the first time in a decade the money spent on health per person in Australia actually fell, down $17 in real terms on the year before to $6430 a person.