Saving you money on medicine

Show your Medicare card and concession card/s

Each time you get a prescription filled, show the pharmacist your current:

• Medicare card
• Centrelink or DVA concession card (if you have one)
• PBS Safety Net entitlement or concession card (if you have one)

What happens if I don't show my Medicare card or concession card/s?

If you cannot show your Medicare or concession card to the pharmacist, you may have to pay the full price for your medicine. If this happens ask your pharmacist for an official PBS refund †† receipt (not just a regular docket). You may be able to get a refund by:

• visiting any Medicare office - taking your official PBS refund receipt (not the docket) to an Medicare office—you will need to show your Medicare card, as well as your concession card
  or
• filling out a claim form [PDF, 129Kb]— or by calling 132 290 † - and posting it to (make sure you include your official PBS refund receipt): PBS Processing Centre
  GPO Box 9826 in your capital city.

Is your concession card valid today

Your circumstances may have changed since you received your card—this may affect your entitlement.

Before pharmacists can give you a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) or Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS) subsidised medicine, they are required by law to check that your entitlement status is valid.

Pharmacists do this through Medicare Australia’s online claiming system, which accesses data directly from Centrelink.

This is an Australian Government requirement that ensures only those who are entitled to concessions under the PBS/RPBS pay the concessional rate.

What if my circumstances have changed?

If your circumstances have changed in the following ways, you may no longer have a valid concession card:

• my card is expired
• I have recently changed my name
• my Centrelink payments have stopped
• I have returned from overseas and have not informed Centrelink
• there have been changes in the caring arrangements of my children
• there have been changes in my income
• there have been changes in the living arrangements of me and my partner.

You can ask for less expensive brands

You can ask your doctor to prescribe a less expensive brand, or your pharmacist may be able to supply a less expensive brand.

Less expensive brands are just as good. All brands of the same medicine have the same active ingredients. The only difference between one brand and another is the name, price, packaging, size and shape.

Less expensive brands meet high standards. All types of medicine in Australia are required to meet the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s high standards of quality, safety and effectiveness. The standards are the same for less expensive and more expensive brands.

Be protected by the PBS Safety Net—keep a record of your PBS medicine

If you or your family need a lot of medicine in a calendar year, the PBS Safety Net helps you with the cost of your medicine. For more information visit the PBS Safety Net.

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Last updated: 15 April, 2009