If you have a concession card you will pay $7.30 (plus any applicable premiums) per script for medicines listed on the PBS. To be a concessional patient you need to hold one or more of the following cards: Pensioner Concession Card.
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
- Health Care Card
- DVA White, Gold, or Orange Card.
PBS Safety Net – concession cardholders
If you spend more than $262.80 on eligible PBS medicines in a calendar year, you qualify for the PBS Safety Net.
This means your PBS medicines for the rest of the year will be free (plus any applicable premiums) once you receive your PBS Safety Net card.
The PBS Safety Net was lowered in July last year by 25%, so concessional patients qualify after 36 PBS scripts, instead of 48.
Keep a record your PBS co-payments and apply for a PBS Safety Net card at your local pharmacy or through Services Australia.
PBS Safety Net thresholds
Once you or your family spend a certain amount on PBS medicine you’ll reach the PBS Safety Net threshold. You PBS Safety Net will be calculated in a calendar year. It usually resets at the beginning of each year, 1 January.
- $262.80 for concession cardholders
- $1,563.50 for general patients.
Before you meet the threshold, each medicine will cost up to:
- $7.30 for concession cardholders
- $30.00 for general patients.
Once you reach the threshold, you’ll need to apply for a PBS Safety Net card to get cheaper medicines. Your medicine will then either:
- be free for concession cardholders
- cost up to $7.30 for general patients.
When there are 2 or more brands of the same medicine, they may have different prices. If you choose a more expensive brand it may cost you more.
How to reach the threshold sooner as a family
If you combine your family’s PBS amounts, you may reach the threshold sooner. You can reach the threshold sooner by combining what everyone in your family spends on PBS medicines. A family is any of the following:
- a couple married and not separated
- a couple in a de facto relationship with or without dependent children
- a single person with dependent children.
A dependent child is someone who is all of the following:
- they are younger than 16 or a full-time student younger than 25
- they attend school, college, or university
- they get substantial financial support.
To combine your family’s PBS amounts, complete the PBS/RPBS Safety Net prescription record form and application for a Safety Net card form. Each time you collect PBS medicine, hand both pages of the form to the pharmacist. The pharmacist will then record what you and your family spend on PBS medicine.
For the most up-to-date information regarding the concession amount for PBS medications, I recommend visiting the official government websites or contacting the Department of Human Services or Services Australia.