Both the Labor and the coalition are promising to bring down the maximum price of most prescription medicines to twenty-five dollars. But it has been revealed that nearly half a million Australians a missing out on a related medicines safety net scheme, due to a lack of public awareness. Advocates say to access the scheme needs to be improved.
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00:00Kirsten Eustace's family spends more than $1,000 a year on prescription medicines to
00:08treat her immune condition and other ailments.
00:11But they get no help from a government program intended to assist with costs.
00:16I think that it is probably far too complex for what it needs to be.
00:20It's called the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme or PBS Safety Net.
00:24Nearly 2.3 million patients used it last year.
00:27Almost half a million qualified but missed out because of administrative problems with
00:32the scheme.
00:33Many simply because they didn't always shop at the same pharmacy.
00:37People often tell us that they've not heard of this safety net and so they've never used
00:42it and never got the benefit.
00:44Under the scheme, when people or families spend just under $1,700 a year on PBS medicines,
00:50scripts go down to $7.
00:53When concession patients spend $277 a year, scripts are free.
00:58Individual chemists track spending so patients who shop around must fill in a paper log.
01:04It becomes very monopolistic and anti-competitive in a way.
01:08It's quite clunky and people shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get the medicine
01:13they need in an affordable way.
01:15Critics say the paper-based system is outdated.
01:18There have also been delays in processing paperwork and problems linking family accounts.
01:23We need to automate the safety net.
01:25We need to make sure that people get the subsidy that they are entitled to.
01:29The federal government plans to do this within five years but says it needs law changes and
01:34computer upgrades.
01:36Advocates want that fast-tracked.
01:38Fixing this is a no-brainer.
01:40Until then, it's up to patients to secure savings at the chemist counter.