The PBS Safety Net threshold
PBS Safety Net 2013 thresholds
| General patients | Concession card holders | |
|---|---|---|
| Patient contribution | Up to $36.10 | $5.90 |
| Safety Net threshold | $1390.60 | $354.00 |
| Safety Net patient contribution | $5.90 | Free |
When you are close to reaching the PBS Safety Net threshold, ask your pharmacist how to get a PBS Safety Net card. Once you have a PBS Safety Net card for PBS medicines, for the rest of the calendar year the amount you will have to pay (your PBS patient contribution) will be:
- $5.90 if you are a general patient, or
- free, if you have an Australian Government concession card.
If you choose a higher-priced brand of medicine or if your doctor prescribes one, you may need to pay more.
To keep the PBS affordable for everyone, PBS prescriptions should not be filled earlier than you need them. Under the Safety Net 20 day rule, an early repeat supply is one that is made within 20 days after a previous supply of the same medicine.
The Safety Net 20 day rule means that if you need to get a repeat for some PBS medicines early, this supply will not count towards your PBS Safety Net threshold. If you have already reached your PBS Safety Net threshold, you will be charged your normal PBS patient contribution instead of the reduced Safety Net amount.