The latest from Better Access Australia
Healthcare Affordability News
In Senate Estimates today officials confirmed that only 23% of PBS medicines are dispensed on the Safety Net Card for Concessional Patients. That means the majority of concessional patients are paying 50 cents more per script without any hope of relief as Australia’s inflationary pressures mount day upon day.
With another 50 cent increase looming on 1 January 2024, Better Access Australia is calling on the Government to act this Budget to freeze indexation on patient co-payments until the economy is in better shape.
144 million scripts for diabetes, heart disease, asthma, depression, arthritis, infection and pain are all 50 cents more expensive every month for those least able to pay.
Concession card holders use an average of 17 PBS scripts a year – and with the safety net not kicking in until 36 scripts, there’s no relief in sight as these stats disclosed today confirm.
Government needs to freeze indexation of co-pays at least until inflation is under control and look at automating safety nets to ensure those who might be protected by that measure always are. BAA also supports introduction of a third-tier co-payment acknowledging that high income earners can afford to may more for their medicines, freeing up Government funds to give greater subsidy to those earning under 136,000 per annum.
At a time when individuals and families are facing unprecedented cost of living pressures – we need action on these reforms today.
Please see media release in full here.
A BUDGET WITH SOME GOOD FOUNDATIONS BUT IT DOESN’T DELIVER FOR ALL AUSTRALIANS
25 October 2022
In their first budget, the Albanese Government has delivered on their election commitments to provide a national expanded and world class newborn bloodspot screening program for Australian babies and make medicines more affordable for some Australians.
Better Access Australia has been advocating for these reforms since 2021 but there are gaps in the announcements tonight.
World Class Newborn Screening in Australia about to be a reality
“Better Access Australia welcomes the Albanese Government’s investment of $39 million to deliver a world-class new newborn bloodspot screening program in Australia commencing in 2022-23.
“This is a huge day for the families that have courageously told their stories and fought so hard to ensure no other families have to endure the diagnostic odyssey of rare disease for babies born in Australia. Because without diagnosis there is no treatment.
Cheaper medicines for many Australians welcomed but not everyone protected from Australia’s record inflationary pressures
“Tonight’s budget funds the reduction in the cost of PBS medicines for families and individuals earning over $78,000 a year by over 30% from $42.50 to $30.
“But in a cost-of-living budget, concessional patients have been forgotten, with their co-payments scheduled to go up by around 50 cents a script from 1 January. These are the same families and pensioners earning less than $78,000 a year and struggling to meet their rent, mortgage, power bills, food bills, and education expenses.
“Government is getting a windfall from these indexation arrangements, and that needs to stop.
“A freeze on indexation for two years would protect concessional patients and pensioners not just general patients – because every percent increase hurts, and every additional cent is hard to find.
There’s still time to fix this with the legislation coming before the Senate tomorrow.
Discrimination against some of the most vulnerable patients in the health system continues
“There is still no protection from medicine costs for patients accessing the Opiate Dependency Treatment (ODT) Program in this budget.
“The current general co-pay legislation currently before the Parliament will ironically exacerbate the discrimination against these patients who are paying over $200 a month in out-of-pocket dispensing fess to access their PBS medicines. The only patients on the PBS to be discriminated against in this way.
“In June 2021 the Senate Standing Committee on the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation found that the ODT Program would likely be found unlawful by the courts if challenged - but still not action by Government to fix this discrimination and injustice.
“One in ten patients accessing the ODT Program identifies as a First Nations person. Despite the Government’s announcement of more than $133.5 million to prioritise First Nations peoples’ health outcomes, with a total investment of $4.6 billion over 4 years, there continues to be no support for patients accessing the ODT Program.
“Once again tomorrow’s Bill before the Senate is the opportunity for the Parliament to act to protect the rights of some of the most vulnerable in our community
Changes to the NDIS
“Better Access Australia welcomes the Government’s ongoing commitment to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) as part of Australia’s critical social infrastructure now and for future generations.
“BAA also welcomes the recently announced Review to rebuild community trust in the NDIS and ensure its sustainability into the future. The anticipated high growth in the NDIS in future years underscores the importance of making sure every dollar is well spent to support people with disability.”
Please see media release in full here.
GOVERNMENT MUST STOP PBS PRICE HIKES ON 1 JANUARY FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES EARNING LESS THAN $78,000
19 October 2022
On 1 January 2023 concessional patients will be facing a price hike of at least 50 cents per script from $6.80 to $7.30. For individuals and families on fixed incomes of less than $78,000 per year, this is yet another government-imposed price increase they cannot afford.
The law currently mandates that the Concessional PBS Co-Pay must be increased by CPI on 1 January each year. Based on the 12-months to August 2022 CPI figure of 6.8%, that means Concessional patients will be facing an increase of at least $0.50 per script on 1 January 2023, from $6.80 to $7.30.
The increase will also impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander general patients who access PBS medicines via the Closing the Gap program.
That's an extra $76 million each year the Government wants to charge people for access to their medicines at a time when they can least afford it.
Families earning less than $78,000 a year are making choices between feeding their kids, paying their rent, putting fuel in their car, and whether they can afford their medicines, let alone visit the GP to get the script.
Every cent counts. Every per cent increase hurts.
Government shouldn’t be profiting from the inflationary pressures being placed on the community.
A two-year freeze on indexation being applied to the concessional PBS Co-Pay would help keep medicines affordable for everyone in the community until our economy is back on track.
Better Access Australia is seeking urgent action by the Senate to amend the National Health Amendment (General Co-Payment) Bill to freeze indexation increases to the Concessional PBS Co-Pay till 2025 to ensure medicines remain affordable for everyone during these times of unprecedented rises in the cost of living in Australia.
Please see media release in full here.
Read the quick facts here.
FEDERAL BUDGET IGNORES THE MAJORITY OF AUSTRALIANS STRUGGLING TO AFFORD THEIR MEDICINES
March 29, 2022
The Government’s announcement of a repeat of its 2019 election PBS safety net measure shows its lack of understanding of the true cost of medicines.
Families earning no more than $70,000 a year face the ongoing choice of food on the table or medicines for themselves or their kids.
BAA welcomes reducing safety net thresholds for concessional patients, but tonight’s measures will do nothing to protect the majority of Australians from the increasing weekly unaffordability of medicines.
Waiting to fill 34 scripts for medicine cost relief is not a luxury most families can afford.
Full details in press release here.
A BUDGET THAT PRIORITISES EQUALITY AND AFFORDABILITY OF ACCESS TO OUR HEALTH SYSTEM CAN DELIVER BETTER ACCESS, AUSTRALIA
March 27, 2022
As the federal budget looms, the need for a focus on improving equality of access to health services in Australia remains critical. Individual treatment subsidies are always welcomed but the systemic shortcomings must be addressed now if we are to end the increasing tension of a system of those who have access and those who do not.
Budget 2022-23 is a chance to redefine and future-proof the system, not merely work around. Action is needed this Budget because right now:
PBS co-payments are tracking towards $50 per script outpacing the cost of living;
Australia’s babies are some of the least protected in the world for early screening and diagnosis of rare diseases;
Patients managing opioid addiction are being financially discriminated against by the government despite the protections of the law;
Average wait times for access to subsidised medicines are over 820 days and growing; and
Patients are being forced to accept huge out of pocket costs in their access to specialists for primary healthcare, none of which is covered by their private health insurance.
This week’s budget needs to:
Introduce a mid-tier co-payment for the PBS based on Family Tax Benefit A, recognising the challenges for individuals, couples and families earning less than $136,000 and freezing indexation growth for 5 years
Introduce an expanded and nationally consistent newborn bloodspot screening program following a once-off catch up review, with the new program rolled out by 1 July 2023 based on the funding model for the National Immunisation Program
End the government’s requirement for pharmacies to charge out of pocket fees for access to medicines for managing opioid addiction and bring their distribution and subsidy into line with all other PBS medicines by 1 July 2022
Establish a #100days from medicine and device registration to subsidy target in Australia to improve access to all therapeutics irrespective of indication or patient population with program administration and contracting based on this new standard
Reduce out of pocket costs for patients obliged to see specialists on an annual basis to maintain access to ongoing PBS medicines used in the primary care setting
Conduct a consumer-need analysis of private health in Australia recognising the interaction between the public and private health systems and the increasing use of private healthcare outside the hospital setting with no insurance coverage.
Full details in press release here.
INCREASING COSTS OF MEDICINES UNMANAGEABLE
BAA CALLS FOR A REDUCED PBS CO-PAY AS PART OF 2022-23 BUDGET
February 02, 2022
Better Access Australia (BAA) is calling on the federal government to #MindTheGap in the affordability of healthcare as part of its 2022-23 Budget.
“Right now, Australians are paying some of the highest co-payments for subsidised medicines in the world. Only the US, Canada and Switzerland charge patients more,” Better Access Australia Chair Felicity McNeill said.
Better Access Australia is calling for a reduction in the general PBS co-payment from $42.50 to $20 per script for some patients and freezing indexation on PBS co-pays and safety nets as Australians face the challenge of growing inflation and wage stagnation.
“With 40.4% of people aged 15-44 managing a chronic health condition, too many in the community are facing high costs to manage their health.
“Waiting to fill 36 scripts before your medicines are made affordable is not a luxury of time and luxury of cost many can afford. No individual, parent or child should be going without their medicines because they’re managing their monthly household budget and waiting for their safety net to bring the cost of their medicines down.
“Non-compliance with medicines for chronic conditions risks acute and longer-term complications. It’s not good for the health of the community or the health of our health system.
To read media release in full click here.
BETTER ACCESS AUSTRALIA’S PRE-BUDGET SUBMISSION
CALLING FOR GOVERNMENT TO #MINDTHEGAP FOR AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY
January 31, 2022
Calling for six areas to #MindTheGap, our submission to the government asks for:
1) A national Newborn Bloodspot Screening program to match international best practice of up to 80 diseases.
2) End the government-mandated discrimination by making all medicines that treat opioid dependence, a recognised disability, subject to the PBS co-payment and safety-net provisions as afforded to every other medicine on the PBS.
3) Daily medicine access to be made affordable for families once again by reducing the general PBS co-payment from $42.50 to $20 per script.
4) End the 820-day average wait by making a 100 day policy from TGA approval to subsidised access for medicines and medical devices.
5) End the costs to patients and costs to government of unnecessary annual referrals to specialists for long-term treatment of a chronic disease.
6) Change the emphasis of Private Health Reform to better capture the consumer interest in health coverage expectations rather than an exclusive debate between government and insurers on cost of devices and annual price increases.
These proposals are a combination of targeted reforms for some of the most vulnerable in our community as well as system-wide reforms to benefit the entire population.
Better Access Australia’s 2022-2023 Pre-Budget Submission is available to read here.
CONCERNS FOR CONSEQUENCES OF BILL
INCREASING MEDICINES COSTS FOR COMMUNITY AND PATIENTS
November 24, 2021
A bill before parliament will see the price of medicines increase if it passes.
Better Access Australia supports proper parliamentary scrutiny of the National Health (PBS Enhancements) Bill. This Bill is the result of 15 months of negotiations between industry and the government and specifically excluded the community and patients from consultation on measures that will impact their hip pockets and timely access to medicines.
We support many of the measures in the Bill but the community must be given an opportunity to understand the intended and untended consequences of this Bill including Government’s intention to increase the price of many medicines by at least 50 cents and as much as $1.50.
1 in 3 scripts on the PBS is fully paid for out of a families’ budget NOT the governments. Families need the chance to assess what this Bill means for the affordability of medicines for them.
An article published in BioPharmaDispatch exploring these concerns can be read here.
*Permission to publish this article was sought and received from BioPharmaDispatch prior to uploading article.
THE DEVIL IS ALWAYS IN THE DETAIL AND BUDGET 2021-22 IS NO DIFFERENT WITH MANY GAPS REMAINING
11 May 2021
Better Access Australia notes that the 2021-22 Budget makes some significant funding investments in health but continues to fail some of the most vulnerable in the community.
We need to #mindthegap in equality of access to our health system.
The devil is always in the detail.
A copy of the media release can be accessed here.
PUSHING POOR MEDICINE CHOICES TO SAVE MONEY WITH NO TRANSPARENCY
17 December 2020
NPS MedicineWise has combined with some patient and other groups to recommend 70yr old methotrexate instead of the appropriate use of biologicals. The only purpose is to achieve government savings of over $50M - this is a FACT.
Better Access Australia supports clinically appropriate prescribing of medicines. Yet these medicines are 50% cheaper than when 1st listed. Time for earlier intervention to stop burden of disease, not higher use of treatment that cause significant side effects in up to 65% of patients.