Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) is warning that the possible loss of affordable access to key multiple sclerosis medicines could push more women toward preventable health decline, increased hospitalisations and greater disability support needs, at the same time the Government is trying to reduce pressure on the NDIS.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee met this week to discuss the price of Ocrevus and Kesimpta, two medicines used to treat MS and related conditions that are currently subsidised by the Federal Government.
If subsidised access is lost, some people could face costs of tens of thousands of dollars a year for medicines that help keep their health and wellbeing stable.
WWDA CEO Sophie Cusworth said the issue cannot be treated as a pricing dispute alone.
“This is where everything starts to collide,” Ms Cusworth said.
“Women with MS could be priced out of the medicines that help keep them well, while also facing a harder road to get disability support under proposed NDIS changes.
“That is a perfect storm for women with disability.”
MS affects women at much higher rates than men, with around three in four Australians diagnosed with MS being women. Autoimmune diseases such as MS are also the leading cause of death in women under the age of 65. WWDA says any decision that makes MS treatment harder to access will disproportionately affect women already dealing with health costs, unpaid care responsibilities, insecure work and barriers to the NDIS.
WWDA’s own health survey found women and gender-diverse people with disability are already delaying care and missing out on medications because of cost.
Ms Cusworth said losing practical access to medicines that help prevent decline could undermine the Government’s own goal of reducing pressure on the NDIS.
“If people lose access to the medication that keeps them stable, the costs do not disappear,” Ms Cusworth said.
“They show up later in emergency departments, in families, in unpaid care, and in the NDIS itself.
“That is the opposite of what the Government says it is trying to achieve.”
WWDA said suggestions that people can simply switch to a different medication miss the reality of MS treatment.
“For someone who is stable on medication, switching is not simple,” Ms Cusworth said.
“It can mean new side effects, time off work, more medical appointments and a real risk of their health becoming worse.
“For women with MS, these medicines are not optional. They are part of how people stay in work, stay connected, care for their families and avoid preventable health and wellbeing decline.”
WWDA has repeatedly raised concerns that proposed NDIS reforms may require people to show they have accessed all appropriate treatment before receiving disability support.
WWDA welcomes recent NDIS Bill amendments seeking to ensure treatment is only considered “appropriate” where public funding is available, and Minister Mark Butler’s comments that he wants Ocrevus and Kesimpta to remain on the PBS.
However, WWDA says the current uncertainty shows the Government must urgently clarify how this will work in practice, including for medications, and ensure people are not penalised when treatments are unaffordable, unavailable or not clinically appropriate.
ENDS
