Do you know there is a pharmaceutical Safety Net? Big savings for families.

Some info about prescriptions that I've never seen anywhere else on the forum.

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme has a Safety Net but unless you always go to the same pharmacy, you MUST keep track of your expenditure towards it yourself. At the beginning of each year, ask any pharmacy for a Safety Net card for the current calendar year and EVERY time you or anyone else on your Medicare card has a prescription filled, stick the sticker you should get with the prescription (you may sometimes need to ask for it) into the card. When your family expenditure for PBS prescriptions gets to the Safety Net threshold, the cost per prescription drops dramatically for the remainder of the calendar year. If you always go to the same pharmacy, they will almost certainly keep track for you (ask to make sure) but get a card anyway in case you get stickers from any other pharmacy - you can then show the stickers to your usual one and they can add that to their records. My family usually hits the SN by about July each year and the savings are huge after that. Once you hit the SN, you get a Safety Net Concession card that can be used anywhere in Australia for prescriptions at the lower cost.

The SN non-concession threshold for 2015 is $1453.90 (covers the whole family regardless of the number of members) and the cost per prescription drops from $37.70 down to only $6.10. I'm not sure if those amounts will change after the new legislation goes through both houses of parliament but the following link seems to indicate that it has already been taken into account. Health Care card holders have a lower threshold and when they reach the SN, the cost for a prescription drops to zero.

http://www.pbs.gov.au/info/news/2014...et-information

Medicare also has a Safety Net and they keep track of your out of pocket expenses automatically for individuals (they write to you when you approach it) but you have to register for it for a family; only once though - no registration needed for subsequent years.

This is good to know, particularly if you/family members are on regular medication.

Great thread. I didn't realise there were two safety nets until 5 years ago. I can't be bothered with the prescription one but the Medicare safety net has been great.

My safety net kicked in automatically last year. I think it happens when you are registered for your Medicare benefit rebate to go straight into your nominated bank account.

I'm afraid I have found the cost of medicine prohibitive in Australia and I have stopped taking the regular medication I used to take in the UK to delay advance of chronic conditions. This will cost the taxpayer in the long run and also foreshorten my healthy life. I imagine that if this is the effect it has on me - someone educated, bright and on a good salary - that it will have an even stronger effect on others. Making people pay a lot for health care is not a great strategy, and especially dumb if you then have a free-to-access emergency care system and social benefits related to the effects of long term ill health.

My safety net kicked in automatically last year. I think it happens when you are registered for your Medicare benefit rebate to go straight into your nominated bank account.

The Medicare Safety Net can kick in automatically but the PBS one doesn't. I guess it could happen if you always use the same pharmacy and they are very switched on and proactive but it definitely doesn't happen otherwise. It certainly doesn't come from the government/Medicare.

The PBS Safety Net is well worth the effort for most families and for anyone who has several prescriptions filled each month. A month ago when I was over the 2014 Safety Net, I paid $24 for 4 prescriptions - yesterday (new calendar year), it cost me $150.80 for exactly the same medication.

My goodness things have changed since we lived in aus 11 years ago. $150 for 4 items. how does anyone manage? I understand about the safety next it was in existence when we were there (lived in aus for 53 yrs before leaving for france) but now it seems horrendous. Bit scary for us as we're 77 now and would like to come back and are thinking about coming to Tassie but my husband is on a lot of medication and I'm a diet controlled diabetic so need medication, so am wondering whether we could manage. I'm a lurker on this forum as we haven't yet made the decision and am so glad I did find you as the info is invaluable.

My goodness things have changed since we lived in aus 11 years ago. $150 for 4 items. how does anyone manage? I understand about the safety next it was in existence when we were there (lived in aus for 53 yrs before leaving for france) but now it seems horrendous. Bit scary for us as we're 77 now and would like to come back and are thinking about coming to Tassie but my husband is on a lot of medication and I'm a diet controlled diabetic so need medication, so am wondering whether we could manage. I'm a lurker on this forum as we haven't yet made the decision and am so glad I did find you as the info is invaluable.

If you can get a pension card then you will get the cheaper rates, not sure how much it is now but a few years ago it was around $5. If you can't get a pension card and you have lots of illness then I would think very carefully about coming over. One of my prescriptions alone costs over $80, my husband has just been in to see his specialist today and that was another $160, I was quoted $550 yesterday to see a new specialist. I'm at my GP tomorrow that's $80. Yes you could see specialists at the public hospital and if you are in a big city that's fine but if you are remote there may not be one who specialises in what you need, or they may only have one surgeon and you have to wait months, even years just for an appointment.

I was rushed in to hospital last night only to be told they would have to wait to speak with my Sydney surgeon as they didn't know what to do, not very reassuring.

My neighbour who has a pension card pays $6.20 for her prescription every two months. She gets 2 bottles of tablets on the one prescription which lasts the two months.

I think we would get a pension card as we receive an aus pension and areold. how much do you get back from $80 and is that visit timed. specialist about the same here if you convert to euros but we've covered by what the french call a mutelle and are refunded 90%. what is the refund rate? waiting to see a specialist douns a bit dicety but I guess like in France or the uk (where we never go) can be similiar in certain instances not year though but 6 months for cardiologist. The refund you receive from any of the things you mention would be a criteria as we'd only have the pension on which to live. thank you ever so much for taking the time to reply all of you.

I think we would get a pension card as we receive an aus pension and areold. how much do you get back from $80 and is that visit timed. specialist about the same here if you convert to euros but we've covered by what the french call a mutelle and are refunded 90%. what is the refund rate? waiting to see a specialist douns a bit dicety but I guess like in France or the uk (where we never go) can be similiar in certain instances not year though but 6 months for cardiologist. The refund you receive from any of the things you mention would be a criteria as we'd only have the pension on which to live. thank you ever so much for taking the time to reply all of you.

Your are considering coming to Tasmania and there are medical centres here which bulk bill so you don't pay a fee to see a doctor.

I think we would get a pension card as we receive an aus pension and areold. how much do you get back from $80 and is that visit timed. specialist about the same here if you convert to euros but we've covered by what the french call a mutelle and are refunded 90%. what is the refund rate? waiting to see a specialist douns a bit dicety but I guess like in France or the uk (where we never go) can be similiar in certain instances not year though but 6 months for cardiologist. The refund you receive from any of the things you mention would be a criteria as we'd only have the pension on which to live. thank you ever so much for taking the time to reply all of you.

If you see a public specialist there is no charge.

I'm afraid I have found the cost of medicine prohibitive in Australia and I have stopped taking the regular medication I used to take in the UK to delay advance of chronic conditions. This will cost the taxpayer in the long run and also foreshorten my healthy life. I imagine that if this is the effect it has on me - someone educated, bright and on a good salary - that it will have an even stronger effect on others. Making people pay a lot for health care is not a great strategy, and especially dumb if you then have a free-to-access emergency care system and social benefits related to the effects of long term ill health.

If you have chronic conditions you may qualify for a Healthcare card, I have rheumatoid arthritis and did.

This significantly reduced the cost of my medications.

The Medicare Safety Net can kick in automatically but the PBS one doesn't. I guess it could happen if you always use the same pharmacy and they are very switched on and proactive but it definitely doesn't happen otherwise. It certainly doesn't come from the government/Medicare.

 

The PBS Safety Net is well worth the effort for most families and for anyone who has several prescriptions filled each month. A month ago when I was over the 2014 Safety Net, I paid $24 for 4 prescriptions - yesterday (new calendar year), it cost me $150.80 for exactly the same medication.

We were registered with a local pharmacy and always went there when we could, they kept the records for us - and would update them with prescriptions from elsewhere if you asked. Definitely worth it with the cost of prescriptions and two of us with chronic conditions.

Have been reading the link you posted but excuse my stupidity but still don't understand it. If you're an aged pensioner receiving full pension what is the situation? How much would we pay per prescription and does that mean per item? I understand about the safety net but what would be the amount you have to reach before concession? Am a lurker from overseas who has lived in Aus but not for many years and am considering moving back after a very long time. Coming home to roost so to speak! I am a diabetic type 2 so is there any dispensation for this condition and MOH is on a lot of medication so costs count heavily towards our decision. Many thanks

My goodness things have changed since we lived in aus 11 years ago. $150 for 4 items. how does anyone manage? I understand about the safety next it was in existence when we were there (lived in aus for 53 yrs before leaving for france) but now it seems horrendous. Bit scary for us as we're 77 now and would like to come back and are thinking about coming to Tassie but my husband is on a lot of medication and I'm a diet controlled diabetic so need medication, so am wondering whether we could manage. I'm a lurker on this forum as we haven't yet made the decision and am so glad I did find you as the info is invaluable.

If you qualify for Centrelink pensions you will probably get a Health Care card with that you only pay a set amount for your prescriptions which does keep the bills down

my hubby is diet controlled diabetic and doesn't taken any medicines our Australia GP was brilliant and set us on the right curse to maintain the diabetes

We were registered with a local pharmacy and always went there when we could, they kept the records for us - and would update them with prescriptions from elsewhere if you asked. Definitely worth it with the cost of prescriptions and two of us with chronic conditions.

My daughter in law normally gets her prescriptions at the Chemist Warehouse quite a good but cheaper - she bought a bottle of cough medicine at the local chemist $13 difference !

Thank you. I think we're going to find a big difference in what we will have to pay but horses for courses. Obviously the exchange rate makes a big difference to our pension here in France but not nearly as bad if we were in the uk where it would be halved. So full pension, pay more for medical but back in our own currency.

My daughter in law normally gets her prescriptions at the Chemist Warehouse quite a good but cheaper - she bought a bottle of cough medicine at the local chemist $13 difference !

I didn't think PBS medicines vary in prices from pharmacy to pharmacy?

I didn't think PBS medicines vary in prices from pharmacy to pharmacy?

They do, chemist warehouse was between 10 and 20 percent cheaper for us.

They do, chemist warehouse was between 10 and 20 percent cheaper for us.

I've not seen this on prescriptions myself maybe a few cents that's all

Can you registe for the Medicare family safety net if you're on a 457??