How much do we spend on prescription medicines? Out-of-pocket costs for patients in Australia and other OECD countries

Australian Health Review

Volumn 35, Issue 3, 2011, Pages 341-349

  Kemp, Anna ^a   Preen, David B ^a   Glover, John ^b   Semmens, James ^c   Roughead, Elizabeth E ^d  

^a UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA   (Australia)

^b UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE   (Australia)

^c CURTIN UNIVERSITY   (Australia)

^d UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA   (Australia)

Author keywords

international comparison; pharmaceutical expenditure; private expenditure

Indexed keywords

EID: 80052194690     PISSN: 01565788     EISSN: 14498944     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1071/AH10906     Document Type: Article

References (42)

1. Allan GM, Lexchin J, Wiebe N. Physician awareness of drug cost: a systematic review. PLoS Med 2007; 4(9): e283. doi:10.1371/journal. pmed.0040283
2. Steinman MA, Sands LP, Covinsky KE. Self-restriction of medications due to cost in seniors without prescription coverage. J Gen Intern Med 2001; 16: 793-9. doi:10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.10412.x (Pubitemid 34015693)
3. Schoen C, Osborn R, Doty MM, Bishop M, Peugh J, Murukutla N. Toward higher-performance health systems: adults' health care experiences in seven countries, 2007. Health Aff 2007; 26(6): w717-34. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.26.6.w717
4. Ess SM, Schneeweiss S, Szucs TD. European healthcare policies for controlling drug expenditure. Pharmacoeconomics2003; 21(2): 89-103. doi:10.2165/00019053-200321020-00002 (Pubitemid 36127005)
5. Rickard M. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme: options for cost control. Canberra: Social Policy Group, Parliamentary Library; 2002. Current Issues Brief number 12 2001-02.
6. Expenditure and prescriptions twelve months to 30 June 2008. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing; 2008.
7. Doran E, Henry DA. The PBS community awareness campaign: how helpful is blaming patients? Med J Aust 2003; 179(10): 544-5. (Pubitemid 37461080)
8. Doran E, Henry D. Pharmaceutical benefits scheme policy: confused and tough on patients. Intern Med J 2006; 36: 211-3. doi:10.1111/j.1445-5994.2006. 01050.x
9. Harvey K. Securing the future of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme? Australian Review 2002. Available at http://www.australianreview.net/digest/ 2002/06/harvey.html [verified 8 April 2010].
10. Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits, 31 July. Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing; 2010. Available at:http://www.pbs. gov.au/html/healthpro/publication/view?date=20100401&type=Flash Paper&name=general-schedule [verified 8 April 2010].
11. Hynd A, Roughead E, Preen DB, Glover J, Bulsara M, Semmens J. The impact of co-payment changes on dispensings of government-subsidised medicines in Australia. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2008; 17: 1091-9. doi:10.1002/pds.1670
12. Doran E, Robertson J, Rolfe I, Henry D. Patient co-payments and use of prescription medicines. Aust N Z J Public Health 2004; 28(1): 62-7. doi:10.1111/j.1467-842X.2004.tb00634.x (Pubitemid 38247836)
13. Health expenditure Australia 2004-05. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2006.
14. Health expenditure Australia 2006-07. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2008.
15. Interactive expenditure data. Canberra: Australian Instituteof Health and Welfare; 2009. Available at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/expenditure/data-cubes/ index.cfm [verified 8 April 2010].
16. Health expenditure Australia 2002-03. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2004.
17. OECD Health Data 2011
18. Past copayments and Safety Net thresholds. Department of Health and Ageing; 2010. Available at: http://www.aodgp.gov.au/internet/main/publishing. nsf/Content/health-pbs-general-pbs-copayment.htm [verified 8 April 2010].
19. Johnston M. Thepriceelasticityofdemandfor pharmaceuticals.In:Smith CS, editor. Economics and health 1990: proceedings of the Twelfth Australian Conference of Health Economists. Melbourne: Monash University and Fairfield Hospital; 1990: 22-43.
20. Australia's health 1994. Canberra: AGPS, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 1994. Available at:http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/aus/ah94/ ah94.pdf [verified 8 April 2010].
21. Australian Statistics on Medicines 1997. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services, Drug Utilisation Sub Committee;1998
22. Australia's Health 2008. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2008.
23. Australian Statisticson Medicines 2007. Canberra: Departmentof Health and Ageing, Drug Utilisation Sub Committee; 2009.
24. Purchasing power parities for GDP and related indicators. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2011. Available at: http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=PPPGDP [verified 25 July 2011].
25. New GDP comparisons based on Purchasing Power Parities for the year 2002. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; 2005. Available at http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/32/62/34256773.pdf [verified 8 April 2010].
26. 5206.0-Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product, Mar 2011. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics; 2011. http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs.nsf/mf/5206.0 [verified 8 April 2010].
27. PBS Statistics. Canberra: Medicare Australia; 2009. Available at https://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/statistics/pbs-item.shtml [verified 13 February 2009].
28. Schoen C, Osborn R, How SKH, Doty MM, Peugh J. In chronic condition: experiences of patients with complex health care needs, in eight countries, 2008. Health Aff 2009; 28(1): w1-16. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.28.1.w1
29. Hynd A, Roughead E, Preen DB, Glover J, Bulsara M, Semmens J. Increased patient co-payments and changes in subsidised prescription medicinesdispensedin Western Australia. Aust NZJ Public Health 2009; 33(3): 246-52. doi:10.1111/j.1753-6405.2009.00383.x
30. Paris V, Docteur E. Pharmaceutical pricingandreimbursementpolicies in Canada: Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Health Committee; 2006.
31. Davidova J, Praznovcova L, Lundborg CS. Pricing and reimbursement of pharmaceuticals in the Czech Republic and Sweden.Pharm World Sci 2008; 30(1): 57-64. [Published online ahead of print 23 June 2007]. doi:org/10.1007/s11096- 007-9141-z (Pubitemid 350172648)
32. Strandberg-Larsen M, Knudsen MS. ISPOR global health care systems road map: Denmark-Pharmaceuticals. International Society for Phar-macoeconomics and Outcomes Research; 2009.Availableathttp://www. ispor.org/htaroadmaps/denmark.asp [verified 25 July 2011].
33. Rinta S. Pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement in Finland. Eur J Health Econ 2001; 2(3): 128-35. doi:10.1007/s101980100072 (Pubitemid 32904377)
34. Review of NHS prescription charges and exemption arrangements in Scotland: consultation. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive; 2006. Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/90909/0021837.pdf [verified 8 April 2010].
35. le Polain M, Franken M, Koopmanschap M, Cleemput I. Drug reimbursement systems: international comparison and policy recommendations. Health Services Research (HSR), KCE Reports 147C. D/2010/10.273/90. Brussels: Belgian Healthcare Knowledge Centre (KCE); 2010.
36. The OECD Health Project: Private health insurance in OECD countries. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; 2004.
37. Sandier S, Paris V, Polton D, Thomson S, Mossialos E. Health care systems in transition: France. European Observatory on Health Care Systems;2004. Availableathttp://www.euro.who.int/document/e83126. pdf [verified 8 April 2010].
38. Health insurance and the electronic health card. Federal German Ministry for Health; 2005. Available at: http://www.beyondpoverty.re.kr/share/download. jsp?bbsid=3&seq=270 &fseq=1 [verified 8 April 2010].
39. Health care systems in transition. Luxembourg:European Observatoryon Health Care Systems; 1999. Available at http://www.euro.who.int/doc-ument/ e67498.pdf [verified 8 April 2010].
40. Kuszewski K, Gericke C. Health Systems in Transition: Poland. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe on behalf of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies; 2005. Available at http://www.euro.who.int/-data/assets/ pdf-file/0011/95159/E88670.pdf [verified 25 July 2011].
41. Review of prescription charges in Western Europe, North American and Australasia. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive; 2006. Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/92240/0022048.pdf [verified 8 April 2010].
42. Moise P, Docteur E. Pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policies in Sweden. Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Health Committee; 2007.