Assisting households with their healthcare needs and concerns is a major drive for the Member for Macarthur, Dr Mike Freelander MP, and something that he and the Albanese Government are acting on.

Since coming into effect on 1 January 2023, the Albanese Labor Government has delivered on their commitment to make medicines cheaper by dropping the maximum PBS co-payment to $30 which has resulted in Australians saving $118 million on more than 11 million cheaper prescriptions.

In Macarthur, this has resulted in over 67,900 cheaper patient scripts, with a total patient saving of $772,037. In NSW, over 3.3 million patient scripts have benefited from the lowering of the patient co-payment, with $36.9 million in savings for NSW patients.

This means more money in patient pockets to help manage their cost of living concerns and it has also resulted in increased uptake and accessibility by patients for their prescribed medication. It is also important for local pharmacies as they are able to distribute much-needed medication to more patients more regularly.

This is imperative for the health and wellbeing of our community and something that Dr Freelander strongly believes is necessary to assist patients access their prescribed medication.

This is part of the wider action that the Albanese Government is taking to assist Australians with their healthcare needs, which includes the $3.5 billion funding boost for Medicare that was announced in the May 2023 Budget, which benefits more than 11 million Australians and incentivizes GP’s to provide free consultations.

Dr Freelander has strongly campaigned for this support for many years and this is the largest increase to the bulk billing incentive in Australian history.

Comment attributable to Member for Macarthur, Dr Mike Freelander:

“Medication costs are a real concern for Australians and that is why I am proud to be part of a government that is taking action to make them more affordable and accessible.

“Helping patients afford their prescribed medication is imperative to our community, as this medication has been assigned to them by their doctor to help treat and manage their illnesses. Ensuring they take this medication is important for their health and the health of our community.