Chemists holding on to $1 discounts

YOU should be paying $1 less every time you get a prescription filled, but greedy chemists are denying patients the Government’s dollar discount on prescription medicines.

And the peak body representing pharmacy owners – the Pharmacy Guild – says it opposes the discount.

A new analysis reveals government rules protecting the pharmacy industry monopoly are undermining competition and costing the sick money.

The Turnbull Government for the first time allowed chemists to offer a $1 discount on subsidised medicines from January last year, which it said would save a pensioner up to $70 a year.

However, the discount is voluntary and it is up to the pharmacist to decide whether to provide it – and the Bulletin can reveal just 28 per cent of scripts attracted the discount between January 2016 and March 2017.