Chemists ask pensioners to pay double for scripts, as Pharmacy Guild’s war heats up

Pensioners are being asked not to accept discounted medicines as Aussie chemists resist the government’s half-price scripts policy.

Exclusive: Some chemists are putting profits before patients – and asking pensioners to pay extra for prescription medicines – as they fight the federal government’s half-price scripts policy.

A Brisbane GP claims one of his elderly patients, a war widow pensioner, was told by her pharmacist to refuse a half price script under new rules that come into effect on September 1 — because it would cost his business money.

Dr Thomas Lyons said the patient came to his surgery seeking a repeat script and insisted on being issued monthly repeats rather than the new 60 day repeats that would save her money.

“The lady came in quite fired up saying the chemist has told me what they’re trying to do is take away their money and it’s putting the community pharmacy at risk and I want to do my bit and I’m here to direct you when that happens, you have to change the script so they don’t lose any money,” he said.

Brisbane GP Dr Thomas Lyons claims ones of his elderly patients is being asked to pay more for their scripts. Picture: Lachie Millard

If he did as the chemist wanted, the widow would have ended up paying more for her medicine and Dr Lyons felt it was unethical for him to do that.

“I said well, I can’t ethically change the scripts if it’s going to put you at more cost. I’m not just looking after your diseases and the medication I have to be concerned about your ability to pay your bills as well,” he said.

Under changes announced in the May budget more than six million Australians will save up to $180 a year on the cost of 300 medicines for conditions including Cardiovascular disease, Crohn’s disease, Gout, Heart failure, High cholesterol, Hypertension, Osteoporosis and Ulcerative colitis.

Instead of having to visit their chemist every month to get a new script, they will get 60 days’ supply with each script halving the amount they have to pay for their medicine.

The Pharmacy Guild is campaigning furiously against the change and claims up to 600 pharmacies will close as their profits dip but Health Minister Mark Butler said he was reinvesting $1.2 billion into chemist shops to help them bear the cost of the policy.

The federal government’s cheaper scripts policy is at risk of being defeated in coming weeks.

The cheaper scripts policy is at risk of being defeated in coming weeks with the Opposition and the Greens refusing to make clear whether they will support the change in parliament.

“It is beyond explanation why (Opposition leader) Peter Dutton would block the halving of the cost of medicines for six million Australians,” Mr Butler said.

Dr Lyons said when he rang the chemist to discuss the ethics of asking pensioners to accept higher priced medicines, the pharmacists told him “GPs don’t know how to play the political game. The Pharmacy Guild knows how it’s done. And that’s how they get what they want out of the government”.

Some chemists are putting profits before patients – and asking pensioners to pay extra for prescription medicines – as they fight the federal government’s half-price scripts policy.

Dr Lyons did not wish to name the pharmacy involved so News Corp contacted all four of the pharmacies in the region.

Two of them denied asking patients to request 30 day scripts, a third declined to comment claiming they were “too busy” to answer questions, while the fourth referred us to their head office.

One pharmacist in the area said an independent financial analysis done of the impact of the half price script policy showed it would slash the shop’s income by 30 per cent but not force the closure of the business.

The 30 per cent losses claimed did not take into account extra revenue available from the government returning $1.2 billion to the sector, the pharmacist said.

Shadow Minister for Health Senator Anne Ruston said The Coalition strongly supports Australians having access to cheaper medicines as a much-needed cost-of-living relief measure.

“However, we know the Government has failed to adequately consult on the potential flow-on impacts of their implementation of this change – They themselves admit that they have done no modelling,” she said.

Originally published as Chemists ask pensioners to pay double for scripts, as Pharmacy Guild’s war heats up