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Monday / October 7.
HomeminewsPBS Medicine Pricing Now Reduced

PBS Medicine Pricing Now Reduced

A new, lower cost of PBS medicines has come into effect, meaning the most patients will pay for a PBS listed medication is AU$30, down from $42.50.

This follows Parliament passing legislation late last year to lower the maximum co-payment cost of PBS medicines.

A new, lower cost of PBS medicines has come into effect, meaning the most patients will pay for a PBS listed medication is AU$30, down from $42.50

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia’s National President, Professor Trent Twomey, says this will be a big help to some 19 million patients, especially those who have been struggling to afford their medicines.

“In 2019-20 we learnt that 900,000 Australian patients did not get a script filled because they could not afford it.

“As health professionals, this disturbed us immensely and led to our “Affordable Medicines Now” campaign which pressured both parties to commit to lowering the cost of PBS medicines in the lead up to the last election.

“It’s a credit to our politicians that they listened to those concerns and gave a bi-partisan commitment to lower the maximum co-payment for PBS listed medicines after the election.

Effective 1 January, Prof Twomey said this is “the first time in the history of the PBS that the general co-payment for medicines has come down and not gone up”.

However, he said the campaign to make medicines universally affordable is far from over.

“We are now pushing to lower the maximum co-payment of PBS medicines even further, to $19.

“Reducing the maximum co-payment to $19 will mean an additional 30% of PBS medicines are covered.”

A national survey commissioned by the Pharmacy Guild in 2022 revealed the affordability of healthcare was the biggest hip pocket concern among polled voters.

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