A bombshell new Lung Foundation Australia survey has revealed the cost-of-living crisis is forcing sick Australians to stop looking after their essential health needs.
Lung Foundation Australia CEO Mark Brooke said more than 75 per cent of people living with a lung condition had seen out-of-pocket medical and care costs increase within the last year, with many unable to afford to go to the doctor or buy the medicines they desperately needed.
Survey respondents’ quotes:
- “My 76 yr old husband has had to take up some casual work to pay for my medical costs.”
- “I am unable to afford portable oxygen anymore which means that I do not leave home.”
- “I stopped physiotherapy and that was pretty much keeping me out of hospital.”
- “The price of fuel has impacted me when I need to travel over 200kms each round trip to see my lung specialist and other lung related tests.”
- “Most of the medication is expensive and I have to decide whether or not to spend the money on it or food.”
“There is now a critical need for more affordable care across the country to support people with lung disease or lung cancer,” Mr Brooke said.
“Our new report shows people can’t afford to buy vital medicines or even oxygen, they can’t pay the cost of travelling to their appointments, and the bill for those appointments has gone up too.
“With one in three Australians living with a lung disease Lung Foundation Australia is concerned that for too many in the lung health community, it’s now over the tipping point and people are having to make impossible choices about what to prioritise or simply go without.”
The Lung Foundation Australia report highlights pressures including:
- 30 per cent of people had cancelled or delayed seeing a GP,
- 34 per cent of people reported finding it difficult to afford travel for lung health appointments,
- 21 per cent had gone without or cut back on mental health appointments,
- 28 per cent have had to go into debt or dip into their savings to be able to buy the medicine they need,
- 14 per cent of people admitted using out-of-date medicines due to cost.
Mr Brooke said the Albanese Government’s ongoing commitment to lowering out-of-pocket medicine costs, such as freezing medicine co-payments and expanding access to 60-day prescriptions was laudable, as challenges in affording medicines is a key concern for the community and these initiatives make immediate differences in people’s lives.
“However, people with lung disease need more support, right now, to protect their health through the cost-of-living crisis,” he said.
“Commitment to initiatives like Lung Foundation Australia’s free, evidence-based, telephone Respiratory Care Program, which is shown to support people with a lung disease to better manage their condition, reduce pressure on primary care and reduce hospitalisations; can have immediate, tangible benefits if scaled up with increased investment.
“This program which is evidence-based, cost-effective, and can help reduce inequitable access across Australia, is an important adjunct to the positive efforts around affordability of medicines.”
Lung Foundation Australia’s Cost of Living report is available here: https://lungfoundation.com.au/resources/cost-of-living-pressures-with-a-lung-condition/
For media enquiries please contact:
Lung Foundation Australia Media and Communications Specialist
Anna Hilton
0408 191 192
annah@lungfoundation.com.au