PBS co-payments pledge
May 23, 2016
BOTH the Pharmaceutical Society
of Australia (PSA) and the Pharmacy
Guild of Australia have issued
statements welcoming election
promises made on the weekend
by the Labor party to keep PBS
co-payments at CPI levels and
maintain safety net thresholds.
“Labor’s announcement provides
patients with certainty about
what they would be expected
to contribute to the cost of
their medicines under a Shorten
Government,” the Guild said.
The Guild also pointed out that
Health Minister Sussan Ley has
previously indicated she does not
intend to proceed with these co-payment
and safety net threshold
increases, although they have been
kept in the forward estimates.
The PSA said, “This policy will
provide a boost to patient health
as evidence shows when the
price of medicines increases,
consumers have to choose between
medications and other household
expenses.”
PSA national president Joe
Demarte added that access to
pharmacist services may also
be compromised if the Federal
Government continually seeks to
find savings in the PBS, and that
clarification will be sought from
Sussan Ley’s office around her
previous statements.
Demarte also said, “A long-term
plan for financial sustainability
of the PBS must also include
investment in evidence-based
pharmacist services to ensure the
impact of medicine is maximised
and health outcomes are achieved.”
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