Authorisations for chronic medicine
As you know from previous years, your registered chronic condition authorisation for 2016 will have automatically rolled over to 2017. You only have to re-apply if the authorisation for your medication was issued with an expiry date.
If you have an authorised chronic condition or conditions, you might have received a letter advising you of a possible increase in co-payments for 2017. If you find your co-payments have indeed increased, ask your pharmacist for lower-priced generic medicine, or speak to your doctor to prescribe medicine with no co-payment.
You will not only save the co-payment but also extend your annual non-PMB Chronic Medicine Limit. Co-payment increases also apply to Prescribed Minimum Benefit (PMB) conditions. Refer to your Benefit Guide to understand the difference between a PMB and a non-PMB condition.