New Survey Reveals Australians Facing Tough Choices Between Essential Food and Medicine

Australians are increasingly turning to expired medications, skipping doses, or choosing not to fill prescriptions, as rising living costs take a toll on their healthcare budgets. This growing issue underscores a critical need for effective solutions to ensure access to necessary medicines.

In an effort to alleviate this burden, the federal government has reduced the maximum price for prescription drugs under its subsidy program to $25. This move aims to provide significant relief to taxpayers, potentially saving them over $1 billion. However, the challenge remains as a significant portion of the population continues to face difficulties.

A recent survey conducted by the McKell Institute reveals that 43 percent of Australians have been prescribed medications not covered by the government’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). This gap in coverage leaves many vulnerable, with almost 20 percent of respondents admitting they cannot afford these non-subsidized medicines.

The survey further highlights that about a quarter of those prescribed non-PBS medications choose not to purchase them at all, while roughly a third delay their purchases. Alarmingly, 16 percent of individuals are compelled to forgo essential items to afford their medications, painting a stark picture of the sacrifices many must make to prioritize their health.

About one in four people prescribed medicines outside the scheme said they do not buy the medications, around a third delayed purchases, while 16 per cent were forced to go without essentials to afford them.

Overall, more than one in five of those surveyed said they had delayed filling a prescription due to cost and 18 per cent did not fill it at all.

Some 15 per cent skipped a dose to make it last longer, and 12 per cent reported taking expired medication rather than filling and paying for a new script.

“They have to make a really hard decision between food and medicine, between something for their family or for themselves,” McKell Institute chief executive Edward Cavanough told AAP.

“It’s a bit of a wake-up call.”

Australia’s PBS listing process.

Part of the problem is Australia’s slow PBS listing process.

In 2022, it took 391 days for a prescription medicine to go from being approved for use to being included on Australia’s subsidy scheme.

By comparison, it took 101 days in Japan, 121 days in Germany and 167 days in the UK.

This has worsened in recent years, widening to more than 600 days by 2025.

“We also have this flood of new and innovative medicines being approved,” Cavanough said.

“It’s a really positive thing to be able to capitalise on the benefits of that.

“(But) the PBS can’t keep up.”

Government defends investments in PBS

The government has reduced the maximum price on prescription medication multiple times since coming to office, with the PBS continually held up as a beacon of health policy by Australia’s major political players.

Health Minister Mark Butler on Friday announced a drug used to treat cerebral palsy was also being added to the scheme.

“Having already slashed the cost of medicines — with the largest cut to the cost of medicines in the history of the PBS in 2023 — we’ve gone even further, cutting the maximum price of a PBS medicine to $25, and frozen the maximum price for cardholders at $7.70 for the rest of the decade,” Butler told AAP.

“If we hadn’t made our investments in cheaper medicines, medicine prices would be as high as $50 a script this year.”

Cavanough said the government “deserves credit for the Cheaper Medicines reform, which has delivered genuine relief to millions of people, but this research shows that the policy isn’t helping almost half of all Australians”.

“Nearly half of all Australians are prescribed medicines that aren’t on the PBS, and for many of them, the situation is dire. When people are taking expired medication because they can’t afford to refill their script, it quickly changes from a minor policy gap into a serious public health problem,” he said.

“The government has shown it is willing to act boldly on medicines policy, but the question now is whether it is willing to go further.”

For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.