CHILDREN and adults with serious illnesses such as juvenile diabetes, cancer and severe asthma will have access to free medicine with the Baird government to scrap co-payments for public patients should it be re-elected on Saturday. 
 
In a move set to be welcomed by doctors and health-workers, the government will absorb the $76 million being paid out by tens of thousands of patients to access highly- specialised drugs.

NSW Mike Baird will formally announce the policy during a keynote address to supporters at the NSW Liberal Party campaign launch in Recital Hall at Angel Place today.

Under the existing regimen, public patients must pay $37.70 for each script to access medication classified in the Highly Specialised Drugs category, or $6.10 concession.

The Cancer Council has been leading the push to have the co-payment scrapped, with its research showing almost half of public cancer patients live in a household with a total income of less than $30,000 after tax.

The removal of the payment will also benefit patients with hepatitis, Alzheimer’s disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, cystic fibrosis, psoriatic, severe allergic asthma, HIV, rheumatoid arthritis and rare diseases, particularly those affecting children such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Highly Specialised Drugs, classified as s100 HSD under the Commonwealth’s National Health Act, have been traditionally restricted to hospital pharmacies, although a growing number of community chemists have been given ­permission to dispense the medicines.

Patients will no longer be required to pay the co-payment from early in the next term of the new Baird government, including public non-­admitted patients, outpatients or day patients, inpatients on discharge and privately-referred, non-admitted patients treated in public hospitals.

Mr Baird said the scrapping of the co-payment would ease the financial burden on families fighting cancer and other serious illnesses.

“I doubt there is a family in NSW that is unaffected by cancer or other chronic illnesses,” Mr Baird said.

“Whether it is a parent, a loved one, a friend or neighbour, we all know someone who is in the fight of their life and in need of support.

“As a government, we want to offer a helping hand to assist these patients and ensure their focus is primarily on recovery and wellness, not dollars and cents.”

Labor has also pledged to remove the co-payment but only for chemotherapy patients. NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner said the move would make scripts free for some of the state’s most needy.

“There will be no out-of- pocket expense for public ­patients, no matter where they fill their prescription,” Mrs Skinner said.

Cancer Council policy and advocacy manager Anita Tang said treating cancer posed a major financial burden on many patients, some of whom had to leave work.

The council has been lobbying for the ­removal of the co-payment for several years, ramping up its campaign in July last year.

“Many doctors will adjust the script of a cancer patient as their treatment progresses, so a patient can end up paying up to $200 with several script changes,” she said.

“This will give them a big relief, especially those who have had to take time off work.

Arthritis NSW chief executive Jannine Jackson said thousands of patients would benefit from the abolition of the charge, many of whom ­required treatment for life.

“This is a condition that can affect people from the cradle to the grave, from babies to the elderly,” she said.

“The treatment can be expensive with the co-payment together with the gap for specialists. For someone suffering from chronic arthritis, it can add up to tens of thousands per year.”

Keelie Sammons, six, was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at 20 months.

Her mum Crystal said it was already costing the family up to $500 for injections in her joints to put the arthritis in temporary remission.

However, Ms Sammons has been warned her daughter’s condition could progressively worsen with the family needing to move on to Highly Specialised Drugs in the future.

“As the years go on, her medication will go up as she progressively gets worse, and she will need to access the specialised drugs,” she said.

“The treatment she is getting already is costing a lot.”

Hepatitis NSW chief executive officer Stuart Loveday said a major issue with hepatitis sufferers was the reluctance to seek treatment, with cost ­regarded as one of the barriers.

“We don’t know what the barrier is, but we do know drugs are expensive and so the removal of some of the out-of-pocket expenses is a really welcome initiative,” he said.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/state-election-2015-liberals-unveil-pl...

Free medication paid by the tooth fairy?


Or the electricity sell off ... that will cost people dearly?

Armchair_Politician wrote on Mar 22^nd, 2015 at 6:43am:



Then who pays for the medication einstein ?

or are they to hand out placebo sugar lollies they stole off kids, and pretend it's medication.

Armchair_Politician wrote on Mar 22^nd, 2015 at 6:59am:



And no one by you. It's free because the DT told you so.

In the article it said the government is paying ... how?

What is being cut back to fund this?

Suck it up GW!!! The Coalition have good policies, while the Greens have, well... er, rubbish. 

____ wrote on Mar 22^nd, 2015 at 7:12am:


Yes or no - is this a good policy?

this will end up being one of those broken promises the libs are renowned for.

Mr Baird has been promising to spend money left right and center ... he's got so much to spare

Armchair_Politician wrote on Mar 22^nd, 2015 at 7:16am:



Depends.

How is it being funded.

Who will be sacked ... or what will be privatised so to fund something that should already be free.