From 1 July 2023 you will no longer have to pay the $5 prescription charge on most subsidised medication. However, if your prescription is from a non-publicly funded prescriber such as a dentist or a private specialist there will still be a $15 co-payment. If your medication is not fully funded or subsidised, there may be an additional cost. Once you and your family / whānau have collected 20 new prescription items in a year, you can get a Prescription Subsidy Card, which means you won’t have to pay any more prescription charges until 1 February the following year (the year starts February 1st and ends January 31st ).

Pharmacies may charge for extra services such as special packaging.