Why are these changes being made?

• The Government needs to ensure that the PBS is managed in a fiscally responsible way, so that the Australian community can continue to have access to new, innovative and affordable medicines now and into the future. 
• Over the past decade the cost of the PBS has increased by 80 per cent. Long-term PBS expenditure is expected to grow by 4-5 per cent per annum.
• To put the PBS on a more sustainable footing, the Government is asking Australians to take more personal responsibility for their health, through modest additional contributions to the costs of their care. 

What will these changes mean for me?

• If you are a general patient, you will pay $5 more per subsidised PBS prescription. 
• If you are a concessional patient, including pensioners and veterans, you will pay 80 cents more per PBS prescription.
• The PBS safety net will still be there for both concessional and general patients to protect high medicine users. However, the safety net threshold will also be adjusted.
• The safety net for general patients will increase by 10 per cent above CPI each year over four years from the current $1421.20.

For more details, go to: http://www.pbs.gov.au/info/news/2014/05/2014-budget-information