Easier access to endometriosis support, cheaper contraceptives and menopausal therapies are among the women’s health initiatives announced in the federal budget.
The changes included would save some women “thousands of dollars across their lifetimes”, according to budget documents.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers unveiled the budget on Tuesday night, announcing the federal government would invest $793 million in women’s health over the next five years.
“Because for our government, women’s health is not a boutique issue or a question of special interest,” he said.
“It is a national priority.“
Advocates working in the sector said the budget provided several initiatives to support women experiencing out-of-pocket expenses when accessing healthcare, but more could be done to address equity gaps.
Almost a dozen endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics across Australia
The budget included funding for 11 new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics, which would bring the total across Australia to 33.
Approximately one in nine Australian women suffer from endometriosis, a condition when uterine tissue grows outside the uterus and causes pain, heavy periods and infertility.
The services of all 33 clinics would be expanded to include “specialised support for menopause and perimenopause”, according to budget documents.
“The government is also listing a new endometriosis treatment on the [Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme],” budget documents said.
“Around 8,500 Australian women are expected to benefit from this listing each year, who without subsidy might pay more than $2,700 for a year of treatment.“
Relugolix with estradiol and with norethisterone has been added to the PBS.
The announcement followed the addition of another endometriosis treatment, dienogest, a daily treatment which would have cost patients $750 per year without subsidy.
The national peak body for women’s health said any investment in pelvic pain and endometriosis was a positive sign, but there was still more that needed to be addressed.
“Part of it is that pelvic pain is a part of women’s health and the barriers to care in Australia,” Bonney Corbin, Chair of Australian Women’s Health Alliance, told the ABC.
“But it’s also so much more than that, and while it’s a good start, we need pelvic pain-related care integrated through all hospital systems and health reasons nationwide to make sure, particularly that regional, rural, remote access issues are addressed.”
Endometriosis Australia said that the clinics would increase access, as endometriosis affects one in seven women by the age of 49.
“We don’t know what causes endometriosis, and we don’t know how to prevent it; there’s no cure,”
founder and deputy chair Donna Ciccia said.
“So having these clinics on the ground gives patients something now, someone that they don’t have to explain everything to because they understand what endometriosis is, they feel validated and are empowered by that.”
Menopause ‘awareness campaign’, new treatments and a Medicare rebate
Women experiencing menopause will receive a new Medicare rebate for health assessments.
From November, a Medicare Benefits Schedule ultrasound item will be introduced, “to support women with severe endometriosis”.
Funding has also been announced for “the development of national clinical guidelines for treatment, funding to train health professionals and an awareness campaign”, according to budget documents.
“[Many] women feel the health system does not provide adequate support for the experiences of menopause and perimenopause,” budget documents said.
“Women have felt dismissed by healthcare professionals and vulnerable to harmful health misinformation, while access to hormone replacement therapies is hindered by shortages, prescribing hesitancy and inadequate subsidies.”
One in four women aged 45 to 64 reported menopause symptoms make it hard for them to do daily activities, according to Women’s Health.
The Australian Menopause Society also said women experiencing menopause were at a higher risk for depression and anxiety.
Estradiol and progesterone, both menopausal hormone therapies, have also been added to the PBS.
Their addition marks the first time in 20 years a new menopause treatment has been added to the list.
According to budget documents, around 150,000 women were expected to save hundreds of dollars on treatment a year.
Dr Sarah White, the chief executive of Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, said the inclusion of new menopause medicines on the PBS was going to make a big difference.
“It’s important to remember that women have additional needs. Men and women need diabetes drugs, for example, to be subsidised on the PBS,” she said.
“But women have been paying a penalty for drugs that they need that haven’t been on the PBS for a long time.
“So having estradiol and progesterone added to the PBS, plus contraceptives, these are good things for women, and in terms of equity.”
‘Still areas for improvement’ in maternal healthcare and contraceptives
New oral contraceptives have also been added to the PBS — this time for the first time in 30 years.
The addition of contraceptives Yas and Yazmin will benefit 50,000 women each year, according to budget documents, while the addition of Slinda will benefit 100,000.
“This [792.9 million] package includes funding for 150 per cent larger Medicare rebates and more bulk billing for the insertion and removal of long acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs),” budget documents said.
“[It] enables these services to be delivered by nurse practitioners.
“It also includes funding to establish eight new LARC Centres of Training Excellence, to ensure healthcare professionals are trained, skilled and confident when delivering these services.”
Budget documents estimated 300,000 women would save up to $400 in our-of-pocket costs for the insertion and removal of the devices.
Several maternal healthcare initiatives were included in the $662.6 million over the next five years promised to “strengthen and support” the health workforce.
Included among the announcements were:
- An expansion to the Primary Care Nursing and Midwifery Scholarship Program to support nurses and midwives in post-graduate studies
- Support for the construction of the Nursing and Midwifery Academy in Victoria
- $1.3 million over two years from 2024-25 to extend the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Education and Training Program
While it labelled Australia’s maternal healthcare “safe and high-quality”, budget documents said there were “still areas for improvement”.
“The journey of conceiving, pregnancy, and childbirth represents some of the most significant transitions in life, often accompanied by profound physical, emotional and socio-economic changes,” budget documents said.
“In Australia in 2021, the rate of late gestation stillbirths (after 28 weeks) was 2.4 per 1,000 births, and stillbirths accounted for three quarters of perinatal deaths.
“Pregnancy and neonatal loss can also be a traumatic experience for women and can have lasting impacts on their physical and mental health.“
Ms Corbin from the Australian Women’s Health Alliance said the recent investment was in line with the government’s 10-year national women’s health strategy.
“It sort of set the goal of universal access to contraception and abortion care by 2030, and we’re halfway through that strategy at 2025, and I’d say that this budget will get us on track for those targets,” she said.
Ms Corbin added that it was positive to see the extension of birthing on country programs, but more was needed to close the gap in First Nations maternal health care.
“We also need to look at all the different gaps in maternity care, from preconception to postnatal care, and that is a part of enabling reproductive choice, and that is a part of respecting the right to parent,” she said.
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