Pharmacy Daily | Guild pushing for a $19 co-payment

THE Pharmacy Guild of Australia says that new figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show Australians are going without prescription medication due to rising costs, reinforcing the need to reduce the maximum general co-payment for PBS-listed medicines to $19.

The ABS data shows nearly 1.1 million Australians either delayed or didn't get their required medicines due to the price in the 2022-23 financial year.

Inflation will cause the maximum co-payment to increase on 01 Jan 2024 by $1.60, so medicines currently costing $30 will go up to $31.60 for general patients, while the concessional co-payment cost will rise from $7.30 to $7.70.

Pharmacy Guild of Australia's National President Trent Twomey said the aim of the Guild's 'Affordable Medicines Now' campaign has always been to reduce the maximum co-payment to $19 for Australian patients.

"Community pharmacy won't rest until the general patient co-payment is $19.

"This is one lever the govt has at its disposal to help with the cost of living, and the time to act is now."

Twomey said with inflation running at 5.4%, there has never been a more important time to bring down the cost of medicines.

"A reduction in the general patient co-payment to $19 will have an immediate, direct, and permanent reduction in the Consumer Price Index, structurally lowering inflation.

"With little to no second-round effect, the reduction will affect the health component of the CPI, and most importantly, deliver much needed and lasting cost of living relief to up to 19 million Australians and their families needing it most."

The Guild stated Australia's medication cost compared poorly to other countries such as New Zealand, France and Germany.

"In New Zealand there is no general co-payment for medicines, in Germany, it's under $17, while in France it's just 50 Euro cents," added Twomey. JG