WOMEN are twice as likely as men to skip a prescription because of cost, according to new data from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
The independent longitudinal research found one in four women (27%) were unable to afford their prescription medicines in the past three years because of the cost.
The figure was even higher for women aged 35-54, with one in three (35%) unable to afford theirmedication.
Women are twice as likely as men to say they cannot afford a prescription for themselves or their family, with the number of women who said they could not afford medicine increasing by one third since2022.
The impact of the current cost of prescription medicine on women was a matter for all Australians, said Guild President Professor Trent Twomey, and women across Australia need more support when it comes to affordable access to prescription medicine for themselves and their family.
"In Australian families, women are often the primary caregivers and the family's health manager, taking responsibility for making health appointments and filling and paying for prescription medicines.
"The government has the power to make medicine more affordable by reducing the general copayment for PBS listed medicines," said Twomey, adding it will help relieve cost of living pressures.
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