Manitoba's premier says a new health premium is off the table, at least for his government's first term.

But whether that means Manitobans should brace for a reduction in health care services is somewhat unclear.

Brian Pallister spoke to media about pre-budget consultations today, alongside finance minister Cameron Friesen, justice minister Heather Stefanson, and health minister Kelvin Goertzen.

From what they've seen through responses to an online survey, Goertzen says Manitobans object to the introduction of a new health tax.

"A vast majority of the open-ended comments that we received from Manitobans on the idea of a health care premium clearly rejected the idea," said Goertzen.

The premier says the province doesn't foresee any reduction in its health budget, and it's their major spending focus. But he points to reduced federal funding and its impact, saying there will be a $2.2-billion gap over the next 10 years.

Responding to questions about the possibility of cuts, Pallister said, "(A reduction of) $2.2-billion dollars will lead to reduced health care services over time; that's a statement of fact," stopping short of giving a definitive yes or no, but taking umbrage with the word 'cuts.'

In the online survey, 11.4 per cent of respondents to-date say they're in favour of raising taxes to sustain health care services, while 59.5 per cent preferred finding cost savings in the system. In a subsequent question that Pallister called hypothetical, given three choices, 45.7 per cent of respondents say they'd like a low premium and sustained services, 17.1 per cent say they would like a high premium to enhance health care services, and 37.3 per cent opt for no premium and a reduction in services.

"The response was clear: Manitobans said to the tune of about 89 per cent, they'd prefer us not raise taxes, they'd prefer us find savings in other ways," said Pallister.

The premier didn't rule out the possibility of health premiums in his government's second term, saying the federal funding gap widens over time.

The online survey has had more than 18,000 responses thusfar and is still available to be filled out. Pallister says including the survey and on-phone and in-person town halls, close to 37,000 Manitobans have provided input on the budget.