This week, I spoke out against the Abbott government lifting the cost of prescription medicines. The role of the Pharmaceuticals Benefit Scheme is to provide equitable access to medicines that people need when they need them. It will be the sick, particularly those with chronic diseases, rather than pharmaceutical industry that will feel the pain from these budget measures. The Council of Australian Governments report released in early June found that 8.5 per cent of people in 2013 delayed or did not fill their prescriptions due to cost. In disadvantaged areas this figure is 12.4 per cent, and for Indigenous people it rises to 36.4 per cent. The last time the Liberal government increased the tax on medicines in 2005, prescriptions for some essential medicines fell by as much as 11 per cent.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 06:52:06 +0000
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