title: The affordability of prescription medicines in Australia: are copayments and safety net thresholds too high?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To create and report survey-based indicators of the affordability of prescription medicines for patients in Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study of 1502 randomly selected participants in the Hunter Region of NSW, were interviewed by telephone.
  
  
  METHODS
  The self-reported financial burden of obtaining prescription medicines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data collection was completed with a response rate of 59.0%. Participants who had received and filled at least one prescription medicine in the previous 3 months, and eligible for analysis (n=952), were asked to self-report the level of financial burden from obtaining these medicines. Extreme and heavy financial burdens were reported by 2.1% and 6.8% of participants, respectively. A moderate level of burden was experienced by a further 19.5%. Low burden was recorded for participants who said that their prescription medicines presented either a slight burden (29.0%) or were no burden at all (42.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A substantial minority of participants who had obtained prescription medicines in the 3 months prior to survey experienced a level of financial burden from the cost of these medicines that was reported as being moderate to extreme.
authors.affiliation: Hunter Medical Research Institute, The University of Newcastle, Hunter Valley Research Foundation, Australia. andrew.searles@castle.edu.au
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Searles
authors.forename: Evan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Doran
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Faunce
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Henry
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D017047:Cost Sharing / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005382:Financing, Personal; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000191:economics*; D011306:Prescription Fees; D057566:Self Report; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs