Seniors health to worsen under PBS co-payment
Older Australians are likely to delay filling their prescriptions, reduce dosages or share medications if the federal government increases the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) co-payment, according to seniors advocate COTA Australia.
Ian Yates, COTA chief executive, told the Senate Inquiry into the PBS in Canberra yesterday that many older Australians already struggled to meet the high costs of necessary medications.
“Older people are more likely to have complex and chronic conditions requiring multiple medications,” Mr Yates says. “They are more likely to have to go to the doctor, more likely to see a specialist and more likely to be an inpatient in a hospital than younger people,” he adds.
The effect of the increased PBS co-payment will then be significant for people in the older demographic, especially with the “double whammy” of the introduction of the proposed GP co-payment, according to Mr Yates.
“Many older people are telling us they can't afford all of their medications now, even at the concessional rate. Instead they might only take their medicine every other day, drop some completely, or share medications with other people. Some don't fill their scripts at all,” he says.
While the PBS co-payment may give the government the short term savings it is looking for on the PBS expenditures, Mr Yates says it has the potential to drive up other health costs in the longer term as people need higher levels of care for their worsening health conditions.
Most older people are on low or fixed incomes and have limited discretionary income.
“The co-payment increases represent a rise of 13.3%, in addition to any increase due to inflation as measured by Consumer Price Index (CPI).
“It is hard to see how many older people are going to be able to absorb such an increase without sacrificing something else.
“Getting the right mediation at the right time should not depend on your ability to pay for it and older Australians should not have to choose between food, heating and medications.”
