The cost of medicines will continue to go up unchecked as the Federal Government has failed to adequately address the increasing cost of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicines in the Federal Budget, a decision that has been criticised as a missed opportunity by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
The National President of the Pharmacy Guild, Professor Trent Twomey, said the Government had squandered an opportunity to help millions of Australians better access critical medicines, relieving hip pocket pressures for working families and reducing the burden of preventable disease on our hospitals and emergency services.
"The maximum general co-payment for the PBS is now $42.50 and will keep rising every year hitting $50 by the end of the decade," Professor Twomey said.
"Research by the Australian Patients Association has found more than 20 per cent of Australians aged 18-64 describe prescription medicines as being unaffordable1.
"Cost of living and the affordability of healthcare continue to dominate as issues affecting Australians with more than one in six voters saying they or their families have been unable to purchase medicines due to cost2. This inevitably translates into preventable hospital presentations and worse population health.
"The Government's decision to lower the PBS Safety Net Threshold does not go far enough. When many Australians are relying on paycheck to paycheck and are deciding whether they can put fuel in their car, purchase groceries or keep a roof over their head, they simply cannot afford to wait until October to access cheaper medicines," Professor Twomey said.
"People are struggling to afford essentials and going without their medicines should never be a decision Australians have to make.
"As community pharmacists at the front line of primary healthcare, we are concerned about the implications for the individuals and their families.
"Despite constructive discussions with the Government over the last few months, they decided to ignore the pleas of healthcare professionals leaving Australians to continue to juggle with cost of living pressures and make potentially harmful sacrifices.
"Families are being forced to choose between medicines and immediate needs like food or the fuel. This is bad news for their health and wellbeing and will translate into a higher burden on hospitals and emergency healthcare.
"There aren't many levers the Government can pull to reduce the cost of living but tokenistic cash handouts are not one of them. The Government has the ability to make PBS medicines more affordable for middle income households. For many households, these medicines are the cost of staying alive."
Additional background
Research conducted by independent firm Insightfully last week found women without a concession card are the most affected by medicine unaffordability with over a third (34 per cent) aged 35-54 and nearly a third (31 per cent) of women aged 18-34 struggling to afford, along with middle income households (30 per cent).
In regional areas, 28 per cent of people without a concession card have found medicines difficult to afford, a significant five-point increase since January.
