There is mounting evidence showing the link between cost-of-living pressures and medicine affordability with two national surveys* published this weekend and Productivity Commission Chair Danielle Wood commenting that more people are delaying filling prescriptions because of cost of living.
Cost of living continues to be the biggest priority for voters**– followed by healthcare. The research showed 78% of voters supported the government adding more medicine to the PBS or increasing subsidies.
“It’s clear the government needs to take action to reduce the cost of medication to show voters they are serious about tackling the rising cost of living” pharmacist and Pharmacy Guild of Australia National Councillor Mario Barone said.
Longitudinal research from Insightfully also reveals more than 1 in 5 people have not filled a prescription in the past three years because of cost. This figure rises to 1 in 3 in parts of regional Australia. The research commissioned by the Guild shows women, those with dependants and younger people were more likely to skip a prescription because of cost.
Mario Barone continued, “We know what happens when people can’t afford their medicine – they get sicker. Often there are complications that mean time off work, time in hospital and time recovering.
“The government can act now to make medicines more affordable by reducing the PBS general co-payment. This non-inflationary measure would reduce out-of-pocket prescription costs for patients.
“Community pharmacists see patients struggling to afford their medicine every day. The government can, and should, take action to address these challenges and make sure medicine stops being a luxury item.”
One such patient is Val Altoft from Illawarra: “I'm on a lot of medication…it upsets me. It makes me want to cry. Sometimes I get so depressed because it's bad enough having these illnesses without the expenses that go with it.”
Claudia, a pharmacist from Sydney’s inner west said: “In the past six months I’d say 3-4 patients a week are struggling to afford their medication. We had a patient and realised he was only taking 50% of the medications he was meant to be taking just because he couldn’t afford to get all his medications. People are having to choose what they can and can’t get.”
Community pharmacy is raising awareness of the challenges facing our patients and the tough choices many are making.
“Australians are being forced to make tough choices between filling prescriptions and paying the rent, buying groceries and putting petrol in the car. In the face of this evidence the government must act and make medicine more affordable by reducing the co-payment for general patients,” Mario Barone said.
www.affordablemedicinesnow.com.au
*JWS True Issues Research reported in the AFR on 14 February and Redbridge and Accent research, reported in the Sunday Telegraph on 16 February.
**80% of voters selected cost of living as their top concern; hospitals and healthcare are in second place according to JWS True Issues.