Pathetic, is the only way I can describe the latest piss weak attempt by the Abbott gov to stop spending money like water. The latest grand plan to pay off the bit of debt Australia currently has. Of course it will involve pensioners, I mean what alternatives are there than to hit the vulnerable? But this case however is so pathetically nit picky as to be laughable.
So if you get (I think, unless it's been raised?) 52 prescriptions in one calendar year as a pensioner, paying $6.10 for each script, then the rest of the prescriptions for that calendar year are free. Most pensioners don't make it to that 52 prescriptions, even me although I'm not far off. If we do it happens around Nov or Dec. Certainly not a windfall, and you can't go and stock up as there's a 21 day limit in between getting the next lot.
What it does do though is allow pensioners to get things like Panadol on prescription for free. For a few short weeks at the end of the year. Oh the humanity!
So the new grand plan to pay off the deficit? You guessed it. Stopping pensioners getting free Panadol for those short few weeks. Talk about Scrooge.
Meanwhile Abbott spends $200,000 a year to get
After receiving around 60 scripts a year, concession card holders can currently access over-the-counter medications for free even though they are available cheaply and without a prescription at supermarkets.
"I want the PBS to be sustainable to pay for new generation cancer drugs and expensive medications that absolutely need to be given to patients with the close involvement of their pharmacist and their doctor," Ms Ley told ABC radio on Monday.
"I don't put Panadol in that category." In the future, medications will only be included on the PBS if it is deemed they need to be distributed by a chemist. more
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