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Are medicare and pharmaceutical benefit scheme services too costly for patients? An epilepsy‐based study
Author(s) -
Peterson Chris L.,
Walker Christine
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
australian journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.417
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1839-4655
pISSN - 0157-6321
DOI - 10.1002/ajs4.57
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , epilepsy , disadvantage , health care , low income , inequality , sample (material) , pharmaceutical benefits scheme , medicine , business , gerontology , environmental health , socioeconomics , sociology , economics , psychiatry , nursing , computer science , economic growth , mathematics , population , medical prescription , mathematical analysis , chemistry , chromatography , artificial intelligence
Based on evidence of the relationship between socioeconomic inequality and inequalities in health, this study provides an example of how inequality is experienced by a group of people with epilepsy and the impacts of out‐of‐pocket costs ( OOP s) on their access to essential healthcare. This study examines healthcare inequity based on socioeconomic disadvantage, demonstrated through a sample of people with epilepsy with OOP for Medical Benefits Scheme ( MBS ) services and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme ( PBS ) medicines. Wave 3 of the Australian Epilepsy Longitudinal Study was conducted with a community sample of 324 people with epilepsy. Medical Benefits Scheme and PBS data were collected for 17 per cent of the sample. Level of MBS and PBS OOP s, proportion of household weekly income and the effects of age, gender and location were analysed. MBS OOP expenses were generally higher than PBS . The proportion of weekly household income for the lowest income group was highest for both MBS and PBS OOP s. Women paid nearly twice the amount of MBS OOP than men. Those over 65 years paid far more for MBS and PBS OOP s than younger people. Rural people paid a significantly lower proportion for MBS than people from the city. In‐depth analysis of 11 people showed that many struggle financially.