Fed: Veterans use PBS more than rest of community, report finds
By Jonathon Moran
CANBERRA, Dec 17 AAP - War veterans and their spouses use the Pharmaceutical BenefitsScheme (PBS) more than the rest of the community, a new report has found.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report on veterans health serviceusage surveyed the 290,000 veterans, widows and widowers entitled to government Gold Cardbenefits from 1997 to 2000.
The AIHW study compared Gold Card holders with the rest of the community in three majorhealth expenditure areas, hospitals, pharmaceuticals, and local medical officers/generalpractitioners.
Report co-author Paul Jelfs said veterans used the PBS more because they generallysuffered from a higher level of disability than the rest of the community.
"As a result of this they require additional medical services and in managing someof these conditions they require larger amounts of medications," Mr Jelfs said.
"Veterans have access to an additional range of drugs which have been selected to meetthe demands of their conditions at subsidised prices."
But the report found that given the high level of disability among veterans, healthservice usage was on par with older members of the general community with similar disabilitiesand requirements.
"Overall, we found that, as would be expected of an older population as compared witha younger population, there was much greater use of hospital services, medical servicesand pharmaceuticals," report co-author John Goss said.
"Compared with the rest of the community of similar age, the use by veterans is stillhigher, but is consistent with their greater levels of disability."
The government is attempting to push through the Senate PBS changes which would increasethe cost of drugs by 30 per cent for pensioners and the rest of the community.
A first attempt was rejected by Labor and the minor parties in June.
AAP jwm/sw/cd/bwl
KEYWORD: VETERAN HEALTH
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