Making crucial reproductive health treatments cheaper will make a significant difference to women’s health and provide much-needed financial relief for Australian women, including many older women, COTA Australia says.
COTA Australia – the leading advocacy organisation for older people – Chief Executive Officer, Patricia Sparrow said the Federal Government’s announcement today of a raft of new health investments, which now has multi-partisan support, is a welcome commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of women of all ages.
“This is smart policy that will make a difference to the health and hip pocket of many women across the country,” Ms Sparrow said.
“Not only will this save women thousands of dollars across their lifetime, but it’ll also provide them with more choice when it comes to supporting their health.
Ms Sparrow said the announcement doesn’t just provide practical support for women through Medicare but also crucially provides acknowledgment of the importance of women’s health issues with a rebate for menopause health assessments, funding to train health professionals and a national awareness campaign.
“Many older women have told us they are dealing with the symptoms of menopause in silence, often sacrificing their personal well-being and career advancement as a result of a lack of support,” Ms Sparrow said.
“This announcement doesn’t just provide practical fiscal relief, but crucially it also provides some acknowledgment of the impact things such as menopause have on women.
“Recent research studies show that up to 25 per cent of women take long-term absences from work and/or early retirement due to the severity of their physical and psychological menopausal symptoms. Some available data suggests that menopause has noticeably contributed to the superannuation gender gap.
“Ensuring that menopause is able to be talked about and understood and is well supported through the health system is crucial to ensuring that women can continue to live their lives the way they want to and plan for their future.
“Making the medications needed more affordable will assist all women, but particularly those on fixed incomes.
The PBS will also list three newer Menopause Hormone Therapy medicines saving women up to $290 a year or $577 a year for those with a concession card.
“Women will be better off throughout their lives, which has a cumulative effect leading into older age.
“It’s great to see multi-partisan support for such a crucial issue.”
Ms Sparrow said strengthening Medicare and the PBS so that it moves with the times and continues to provide the support Australians need should always be a focus of government.
“Reducing the cost of medicines and streamlining the system so that people can get access to reduced cost of medicines sooner and more easily should always be a priority.”
Media contact: Alana Mew, 0419 929 722