Tony Abbott’s Budget of broken promises will increase the cost of medicines for all Australians in a horror move for family budgets.
“Tony Abbott’s own budget papers show he will force Australian families to pay an extra $1.3 billion for medicines over the next four years,” said Shadow Minister for Health Catherine King.
For general patients the cost of medicines will rise to $42.70 and for concessional patients the cost will be $6.90.
The concessional co-payment was last sharply increased in 2005. At the time a major study in Western Australia found that increasing the costs on medicines impacted vulnerable groups the most, in particular pensioners.
“There is already evidence that patients don’t fill a second script because they cannot afford to. I’m especially worried about what this will mean for low income earners who are already struggling to make ends meet.”
In addition to increased out of pocket costs of medicines, they will also be lumped with paying a new tax on GP visits, paying for pathology and imaging, and find it harder to get the services they need from public hospitals thanks to Abbott’s $3 billion cut to the public hospital system.
“Tony Abbott’s Budget of broken promises will make it harder for Australian families to make ends meet.”
“‘It is clear that Tony Abbott is intent on creating a health system based on those who can afford to pay, not on the needs of patients and families.”
Tony Abbott promised no new taxes prior to the election.
‘I can assure your listeners that there will be no cuts to health, no cuts to education, no cuts to pensions, no change to the GST’
– Tony Abbott – ABC AM – 5 SEPTEMBER 2013
Labor believes that Australians should get the healthcare they need, not just the healthcare they can afford.