PBS sustainable: Robb
February 20, 2014
Minister for Trade and
Investment, Andrew Robb has
said the Pharmaceutical Benefits
Scheme (PBS) is sustainable.
In an interview with 702 ABC
Sydney regarding the Trans Pacific
Partnership (TPP) agreement
negotiations, Robb said his
mandate from Cabinet required
that PBS remain in situ, having
put a number of propositions
to Cabinet across various
sectors under negotiation in the
agreement.
“And I got a mandate from
Cabinet; Cabinet has said that the
PBS must remain as it is.”
Robb said the agreement would
not be signed if it did not materially
advance national interests; when
asked if the one thing in the way
of signing was jeopardising the
PBS, Robb replied that if it were
not in the country’s interest, it did
not have to accept any part of the
agreement.
However the Sydney Morning
Herald reported that Health Minister
Peter Dutton has said the Medicare
system was unmanageable without
an overhaul to curb costs.
Dutton said the Medicare Benefits
Schedule spending had grown
rapidly over the decade and some
argued this was unsustainable,
SMH reported.
Dutton told the publication he
was open to suggestions on how to
make the system more sustainable,
and said it would be foolish to rule
out any ideas put forward, such as
a $6 co-payment for GP visits.
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