A new Federal Government funding package for women’s health is expected to save hundreds of dollars a year in healthcare costs and improve access to endometriosis and pelvic pain treatment.
The $573.3m funding boost will provide more training for GPs and health professionals, add new contraceptive medicines and menopausal therapies to the PBS, build new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics and increase Medicare rebates for menopause assessment.
RACGP Vice President and WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman said the new funding package recognised the unique costs that female patients bore and provided greater choice for their healthcare.
“It’s an important announcement which does recognise the importance of supporting women’s health and also recognises the skills that our GPs have in providing care for patients,” Dr Raman said.
“This would be welcomed by a lot of the patients because we are in a high cost of living environment, and this would mean that women are able to access this in a more affordable way.”
Under the new package, the oral contraceptive pills Yaz and Yasmin will be added to the PBS. It will be the first time in more than 30 years that new contraceptive pills have been added to the scheme.
The Federal Government estimates it will lower costs from $380 per year to $126 for 50,000 women. Concession card holders will pay $30 a year.
The funding package also includes larger Medicare payments and more bulk billing for IUDs and birth control implants. It is estimated it will save about 300,000 women up to $400 a year.
New menopause hormone therapies – Prometrium, Estrogel and Estrogel Pro – will also be added to the PBS for the first time in 20 years.
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It is estimated that 150,000 women, currently paying $400 and $670 a year, will pay a maximum of $31 each month, saving up $290 a year. Concession card holders will pay $7 a month, saving up to $577 a year.
The first-ever clinical guidelines for menopause and perimenopause will be introduced as part of the package, alongside a new Medicare rebate for menopause health assessments.
It will also provide more than $100 million to support two national trials to make it cheaper and easier for women to access treatment for uncomplicated UTIs and over-the-counter contraceptives from a pharmacist.
Also announced as part of the funding package, but only to be delivered if the Labor party is returned to government, was the commitment to open 11 new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics and to ensure adequate staffing levels to provide specialist support for menopause at new and existing clinics.
Health Services Union National Senior Assistant Secretary Kate Marshall welcomed the funding but repeated the union’s call for universal reproductive health leave, which it claims would cost $900m but save billions in lost productivity.
“Women experiencing period pain, IVF journeys, miscarriage, terminations, treatments or anything relating to their reproductive health should be able to access specific paid leave and flexibility,” Ms Marshall said.
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