Download Consumer health needs must be the first concern in PBS reforms

MEDIA RELEASE Thursday 30 April, 2015
Consumer health needs must be the first concern in PBS
reforms, say peak health groups
Four national health groups have joined forces to urge the Federal Health Minister to
assess the health and economic impacts of changes to pharmaceutical subsidies
before implementing new measures.
The Consumers Health Forum, Arthritis Australia, Painaustralia and the
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia say changes as currently proposed would
significantly disadvantage more than one million Australians living with arthritis and
other chronic conditions requiring frequent medication.
The Health Minister, Sussan Ley, has foreshadowed significant changes to the
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme including the introduction of a discount of up to $1
on the co-payment for prescription medicines and the removal from the PBS of a
range of over the counter medicines including analgesics.This comes when there is
a separate move to introduce doctors’ prescriptions for some pain killers currently
available over the counter at pharmacies. There is also continuing speculation
about a possible increased co-payment for prescribed medicines.
The chief executive officer of CHF, Leanne Wells, says: “We accept there is
common sense in some of these measures and potential benefits for many
consumers. But there is a need for a thorough assessment of what they will mean
for health care overall. The first principle of health policy is that the patient has to
come first. There are many people with chronic conditions for whom the changes
will be a costly blow. While the minister has indicated savings would be reinvested
in health care, it would be a retrograde step if these were at the expense of the
chronically ill.”
The plan to remove a range of Over the Counter medicines from the PBS, which are
prescribed by doctors for specific conditions, is of major concern.
The CEO of Arthritis Australia, Ainslie Cahill, says “Paracetamol is the first line
treatment for osteoarthritis which affects 1.9 million Australians. The required
quantity to allow a therapeutic dose currently costs a pensioner $6.10 from a
pharmacy, if prescribed by a doctor. Under the scheme proposed by the Minister, the
same therapeutic dose could cost the pensioner more than $45 to purchase multiple
packets from a supermarket. Quite apart from the worrying cost impact to those with
arthritis, there are major safety concerns. Increased cost would create an incentive
for people to seek, and GPs to prescribe, the next line therapies for osteoarthritis
which are PBS-listed, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, or opioids. These
therapies however are associated with far less favourable safety profiles than
paracetamol, especially for those who also suffer other chronic conditions. The
situation we face highlights the need for more support in the health system for
effective alternatives such as weight loss and strengthening exercises,” Ms Cahill
says.
The CEO of the PSA, Dr Lance Emerson, says that not only would it be more
expensive, it would also take the GP and pharmacist out of the loop with regard to
advising consumers on their therapy --- advice not available to consumers at the
supermarket.
The CEO of Painaustralia, Lesley Brydon, says a separate proposal to make the
pain killer codeine a prescription-only drug was likely to prove counter-productive.
“Such a measure, though it might be well-intentioned, will simply increase the load
on already over-loaded GPs. It will potentially deny people access who cannot
afford to go to a doctor --- and there are a great many such patients --- leaving them
in pain. Having a national real-time monitoring scheme for designated medications
including codeine which are sold in pharmacies would be a better way of curtailing
overuse and abuse. We desperately need a national media education campaign
about quality use of medicine for pain,” Ms Brydon says.
The four leaders say another side-effect of the removal of analgesics from the PBS
would be the impact on high-need individuals and families as these medications
when prescribed count towards their Safety Net, critically important for low-income
families and those with chronic illnesses.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may also be particularly impacted by
these changes, as items not on the PBS do not qualify for the Government’s own
Close the Gap measures.
“As to the overall impact of the proposed changes, there is the potential for
conflicting outcomes resulting from the-copayment changes which we fear could lead
to great inequity. Their impact must be carefully examined before proceeding.”
“We need to remember that Australia’s per capita health care spending on access to
medicines is below the OECD average.
“The community needs clarity on these issues. We need to be working together to
improve consumers’ health and maintain safety, quality and standards, in addition to
achieving a sustainable and viable health system,” the four leaders said.
Media contacts:
Franca Marine
Arthritis Australia
0432567413
Mark Metherell
CHF
0429111986