Australian Women Struggle with Rising Prescription Costs, sparking Calls for Action

Manny Australian women are facing increasing financial strain when it comes to affording essential prescription medications, leading to concerning compromises in their healthcare. A recent survey indicates that a notable portion of women are forgoing necessary medicines due to cost,prompting industry leaders to urge government intervention.

The High Cost of Care: A Growing Crisis

More than one in four women in Australia have been unable to purchase prescribed medications because of financial pressures. This alarming statistic underscores the growing challenge many face in balancing healthcare needs with household budgets, particularly as the cost of living continues to rise. Pharmacists are reporting an increase in patients scrimping on essential prescriptions for conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and asthma, highlighting the severity of the situation.

Survey Reveals Disproportionate Impact on Women

Research conducted by Insightfully on behalf of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia paints a stark picture.The survey of 2,856 respondents revealed that 27% of women had been unable to afford a prescription in the past three years due to financial pressures. The burden is particularly heavy on women aged 35 to 54,with more than one in three (35%) affected. Women are also twice as likely as men to be unable to afford prescribed medicines for themselves or their families, frequently enough due to their roles as caregivers for aging parents or children.

Pharmacy Guild Calls for reduced Co-Payments

In response to these findings, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia is advocating for a reduction in the maximum co-payment fee for medicines listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits scheme (PBS). The Guild is calling on all sides of politics to commit to slashing the fee from $31.60 to $19. This move, they argue, would provide immediate relief to households struggling to afford essential medications.

• Current Co-payment: $31.60
• Proposed Co-payment: $19

Pharmacist’s Perspective: “Life Changing” Reduction

catherine Bronger, a Sydney pharmacist and Pharmacy Guild National councillor, has witnessed firsthand the increasing difficulties patients face in affording their medications. “We’re seeing more and more patients that have come into the pharmacy, and they’ll present with a couple of prescriptions, they’ll ask you how much they are,” she saeid. “They’ll than sometimes pull one script out and just get two instead of three.”

Bronger emphasizes the potential impact of reducing the co-payment, calling it a “common sense” policy that would be “life changing” for households. “It’s immediate relief. To me it’s a very simple policy that makes a lot of sense,” she stated. “We then know that patients will get that medication that they might not be picking up, so it creates this compliance and helps prevent more complicated health issues.” She further explained that some patients are taking medication every second day or taking a lower dosage than what they have been prescribe.

Compromising Health: A Hazardous trend

Faced with budgetary constraints, some patients resort to dangerous measures to stretch their medications. Bronger has observed patients taking their medication every second day instead of the prescribed daily dose,which can be particularly risky for those on blood thinners. Others prioritize medications that relieve acute symptoms over preventive medicines, such as asthma sufferers choosing ventolin puffers over preventive treatments. “They’re people with asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, or have a risk of strokes or heart attacks – they’re very common medications for common conditions,” she said, highlighting the widespread impact of this cost-driven compromise.

Government Response and Political Debate

While Health Minister Mark Butler did not directly address the proposed reduction to the PBS maximum co-payment, he pointed to the government’s record of introducing 60-day prescriptions, lowering the maximum PBS co-payment, and freezing the $7.70 concession card rate for medicine co-payments until 2029.

Butler stated, “Labour’s hard-fought reforms are delivering cheaper medicines to millions of Australians – already saving them $1.2bn in out-of-pocket costs.” He added,”Labor has delivered and is continuing to deliver cheaper medicines for all Australians,” while criticizing the opposition’s stance on the issue.

The Coalition’s health spokeswoman Anne Ruston countered that the Coalition has always been a “strong supporter of cheaper medicines for Australian patients” and remains committed to listing all medicines recommended by the PBS advisory committee. Ruston expressed concern that “under the Albanese government, a cap on the number of new medicines that can be considered for listing on the PBS has been put in place for the first time in the scheme’s history.”

Looking Ahead: A Call to action

The affordability of prescription medications remains a critical issue for Australian women. The rising cost of living and the disproportionate impact on women, especially those with caregiving responsibilities, necessitate urgent action. Reducing the PBS co-payment would provide immediate relief and improve health outcomes, ensuring that all Australians have access to the medications they need. Contact your local representative to voice your support for policies that make healthcare more accessible and affordable for all.