A smile, though endometriosis is no laughing matter
Labor is preparing to introduce legislation to parliament this week which will cap the cost of prescriptions on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to $25 from $31.60 from 2026.
Ahead of the bill being presented to the lower house, the prime minister and Health Minister Mark Butler on Tuesday hosted a group of women impacted by endometriosis to discuss the changes.
Endometriosis is a disease which tissue grows outside of the uterus, often causing severe pain.
Labor amended and made new listings for contraception, endometriosis and IVF on the PBS ahead of the federal election campaign this year.
Ms Walker told Mr Albanese chopping and changing between medications to manage chronic conditions quickly added up and was a hit to the hip pocket.
"For people who don't have chronic conditions, all of a sudden they could get a cancer diagnosis, something could happen, and that puts a lot of strain on families, so that helps ease that strain, and every little bit counts," she said.
Labor made health a centrepiece of its election campaign, pledging $8.5 billion to strengthen Medicare in a bid to make nine out of 10 visits to the GP free by 2030.
Pressed during Question Time about bulk billing rates, Mr Albanese pulled out a Medicare card, as he had often done on the campaign trail.
"The timeline hasn't changed, the investment is unchanged, the modelling is the same," the prime minister said.
Mr Butler also clarified the figures around expected uptake of an expanded bulk billing incentive following criticism rates would take years to improve.
But the health minister defended the government's modelling which expects fully bulk-billed practices to rise from about a quarter to three.
Mr Butler said about 23 per cent of practices were expected to continue mixed billing, meaning pensioners and kids would be bulk-billed while others might be charged a gap fee.
Opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said people going to the doctor were paying out of pocket costs higher than what they had ever been.
"Right the way through the election campaign, the prime minister waving around his Medicare card and telling Australians and I quote, 'All you'll need is your Medicare card, not your credit card,' was actually misleading the Australian public about the reality that is currently our health care system at the moment," she told ABC's RN.
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