Can I claim for prescriptions, injections and vaccinations?

If you hold an eligible extras cover and have served the two month waiting period, you may be able to claim a benefit towards the cost of some prescriptions, injections and vaccinations. Your Policy Summary will provide detailed information on your level of benefit and any limits that apply.

What is covered?

To be eligible for a benefit, the prescription, injection or vaccination must meet certain criteria.

Pharmaceuticals must:

  • be prescribed or administered by a medical practitioner
  • be a category S4 or S8 item (prescription-only medicine or controlled drug)
  • not be subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). You can read more about the PBS here
  • cost more than the standard PBS co-payment of $31.60 (effective from 1 January 2024)
  • be approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for supply and sale in Australia. The TGA is in charge of regulating medicines and vaccines, as well as other products that relate to your health.  You can read more about the TGA’s role here.

If the above criteria are met, then a benefit for the amount which exceeds the standard PBS co-payment is available, up to any item limits and annual group limits.

What isn’t covered?

There are certain prescriptions, injections and vaccinations that Westfund is unable to pay benefits towards. These include:

  • Medicinal preparations not prescribed or administered by a medical practitioner
  • Pharmaceuticals subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
  • Pharmaceuticals that cost less than the standard PBS co-payment of $31.60 (effective from 1 January 2024)
  • Pharmaceuticals not approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for supply or sale in Australia. This may include compounded medications (where one ingredient does not have approval), Special Access Scheme items as well as experimental and clinical trial prescriptions
  • General use contraceptives, anabolic steroids or cosmetic injections (e.g. botox). However, when the use of these items is prescribed specifically for the treatment of a health condition, we can pay benefits on receipt of a supporting letter from your medical practitioner
  • Pharmaceuticals that can be purchased without a prescription (e.g. category S2 pharmacy medicine or category S3 pharmacist only medicine).

Making your claim

The easiest and quickest way to make your claim is via the Westfund app. However, we provide several other options (online, by mail or email) to submit your claim so you can select the way that suits you best. You can download a claim form here.

Please ensure your receipt/s include the following information:

  • supplier details including any applicable provider numbers - please refer to the provider recognition criteria (more information here)
  • patient details
  • supply date
  • name of pharmaceutical
  • individual costings
  • any amounts paid or outstanding.

An official pharmacy receipt is required when purchasing items from a pharmacy. In addition to the above information, these receipts must also include:

  • Prescription number
  • Prescriber name
  • Prescriber number
  • Indication that it’s a Private, Non-NHS or Non-PBS item