"Patients struggling to afford to pay rent or grocery bills will continue to struggle to pay for their life saving prescriptions despite the decrease in the prescription co-payment announced yesterday by the Health Minister, Mark Butler", said Dr Tim Woodruff, vice president of the Doctors Reform Society.
"Any decrease in the co-payment is welcome said Dr Woodruff, "but a compulsory Government imposed co-payment is simply a tax on illness, a tax on those in our society who are unlucky enough to need lifesaving drugs."
Whilst scoring political points is necessary for all politicians, what about simply abandoning co-payments for prescription drugs, just like New Zealand did in 2023and just like Scotland and Wales did in 2011.
Time to stop taxing illness. Co-payments stop patients using drugs. These drugs are approved by the PBS for subsidy because they save lives and reduce suffering. Co-payments therefore fail to save lives and reduce suffering.
Dr Tim Woodruff
