Pharmacy Daily | Butler confirms co-pay cut in Budget

PLANNED cuts to the general Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) co-payment will form part of tomorrow night's Federal Budget, Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, confirmed over the weekend.

Speaking at a doorstop in Adelaide on Sat, the Minister noted the Government "was elected on a very clear platform of cutting the cost of medicines".

"[The] first thing that we will be doing is delivering the biggest cut to the cost of medicines in Australia's history on Tue night in the Budget," Butler said.

"I can confirm that $787 million will be allocated in the budget on Tue night to deliver that biggest cut to the cost of PBS medicines ever.

"The general patient costs for a co-contribution will be slashed from $42.50 to just $30 from the first of January 2023.

"And there could not be a better time for that relief for Australian households' hip pockets than right now when they're experiencing such pressure with the inflationary environment.

"But we also know that this is extraordinarily good for their public health.

"We know from the Bureau of Statistics that as many as one million Australians every single year defer, or go without, a medicine that their doctor has prescribed for them as important for their health.

"I've spoken to pharmacists time and time again - I did again this week - who tell me stories of their customers coming into them with a few different scripts for medicines that they, or their family members, have been prescribed by their doctor and asking for advice from the pharmacist which ones they don't have to fill because they can't afford them all.

"This is not good for productivity, and it's not good for public health.

"This will mean that every single prescription at the maximum price will save $150 for a patient and their family.

"For families who are on maybe three scripts a month, they will save as much as $450."

Meanwhile, in its pre-Budget submission, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia backed the Federal Government's move to cut the general co-payment, and welcomed its "commitment to explore further opportunities to lower drug prices in a budget-neutral way that does not adversely affect the viability of community pharmacies".