Australians are paying more
September 16, 2011
AUSTRALIANS pay more for their
medicines than citizens in most
other developed nations, according
to a new study published in the
Australian Health Review.
Conducted by researchers at the
University of Western Australia’s
School of Population Health, the
study looked at changes in
patients’ out-of-pocket spending
on prescription medicines over
time, and how spending in
Australia compares with other
OECD countries.
It found that Australia ranks 4th
out of the 14 OCED countries in
terms of out-of-pocket expenditure
for patients with universal
pharmaceutical subsidies.
In fact researchers calculated that
Aussie patients pay 28% of national
pharmaceutical expenditure,
ahead of South Korea (27%), Slovak
Republic (26%), Sweden (22%),
France, Luxembourg, Japan and
Switzerland (17%), Germany (15%),
Czech Republic (11%) and Spain (6%).
Australians were however pipped
at the spending post by patients in
Finland (36%), Denmark (33%) and
Poland (34%).
Spending on PBS medicines was
also found to have jumped by $45
from $16 per person in 1971 to
$62 per person in 2007.
And this is a trend that is not
limited to just publicly subsidised
drugs, with the researchers also
finding that expenditure on all
prescription medicines had risen to
$134 per person in 2007 (after
adjusting for inflation).
The rise in spending, they said, is
due to aging populations, increased
availability of new medicines and
the rise in chronic disease.
“These findings show that the
prescription medicine expenditure
of Australian patients has
increased substantially over recent
years and that compared to other
OECD countries, Australian out-ofpocket
costs are now in the mid to
upper range,” said study leader Dr
Anna Kemp.
“Any further increases risk
substantially affecting access to
and use of prescribed medicines,
with potential risks to patient
health and wellbeing.
“Policy makers should consider
the ongoing affordability of
medicine to patients, as well as to
the wider community, when
reviewing pharmaceutical
reimbursement policy,” she added.
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