If you or your family use lots of medicines each year, you may become eligible for free or cheaper medicines through the PBS Safety Net.

The PBS Safety Net is a scheme that provides free or cheaper medicines for individuals and families who have spent more than the threshold (nominated amount) on PBS medicines in a calendar year.

The threshold differs for ‘concessional’ and ‘general’ patients.

• Concessional patients are people with a government concession card, such as a health care card or a pensioner concession card. These people usually pay $3.80 for each prescription. When they have paid for 52 prescriptions in a calendar year ($197.60 in 2004), they receive their medicines free of charge for the rest of the year.
• General patients (other people) become eligible for the Safety Net when they have spent $726.80 (2004 value) on PBS prescriptions in a calendar year. After reaching the threshold, they can buy their medicines at the concessional rate of $3.80 a prescription for the rest of the year.
  

Within each patient category, the PBS Safety Net threshold is the same for all family types, regardless of their size. Therefore, the threshold is the same for a single person, a couple without children, a single-parent family, and a two-parent family with children.

To be eligible for cheaper medicines under the Safety Net, you must have an accurate record of the amount spent on PBS medicines. If you always use the same pharmacy, you can ask your pharmacist to keep track of the tally on their computer.

If you use different pharmacies, you will need to keep a record of your spending on a ‘Prescription Record Form’. The form, which can be obtained from any pharmacy, should be given to the pharmacist each time you lodge a prescription. The pharmacist will then record the cost of the medicine on the form. You should keep track of your tally, so you can tell the pharmacist when you have reached the threshold.

PBS Safety Net prescription record form 

When the threshold has been reached, the pharmacist will give you a ‘Safety Net Card’. You can then use the card to obtain free (concessional patients) or cheaper (general patients) prescription medicines for the rest of the year.

For further information about the PBS Safety Net, talk to your local pharmacist or call the PBS Information Line on 1800 020 613. The following websites also provide useful information:

• www.health.gov.au/pbs
• www.hic.gov.au/provider/pbs/pharmacists/safety-net.jsp.