Costs for Doctors & Prescriptions in Australia

Prescription Costs

A standard Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescription cost from 1st Jan 2009 is $32.90 for general patients.

This should be the Maximum figure you pay for a standard PBS prescription.

• Sometimes the figure will be lower, depending on the actual item.
• Some prescriptions will be for Brand names, and these may be higher than the normal PBS rate. The chemist normally asks if you are happy with a Generic Brand, which is the normal PBS costed one.
• There are also some prescriptions that are not covered under the PBS scheme, and are therefore not subsidised at all, meaning that these can be quite expensive.

A guide to actual prices can be found at:

• www.pbs.gov.au/html/consumer/search

The prescription costs are normally adjusted on 1 January each year in line with inflation.

For those people who use a lot of prescriptions, there are safety nets
available to keep the costs down.

More details at

• Pharmaceutical Benefits and Medicare Safety Nets

Doctors Fees

Doctors fees can vary in Australia, and I can only give a couple of examples.

My own local Doctors (GP's) quote a base consultation fee, in 2008, of $50.
Some Doctors, especially in more affluent areas will charge more than this.

However, for Citizens, Residents and those with Reciprocal Health Cover, this is where Medicare kicks in with some options, depending on how your doctor operates his income system.

• Bulk Billing Doctors: You don't pay anything, as Medicare pays the Doctor directly, at a previously agreed rate, normally less than the doctors normal fee.
• Non Bulk Billing Doctors: You pay the doctors fee, and then claim some back from Medicare.

More details at:

• Bulk Billing Doctors and Fees in Australia

Specialist Doctors are more expensive than normal GP's, and your net costs after the Medicare rebates are therefore much higher.

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