On the weekend, both major parties held their campaign launches with a series of announcements that, let’s be honest, looked pretty familiar.
Peter Dutton promised $10 billion for a “cost of living tax offset,” offering up to $1,200 for middle-income Australians at tax time – the return of the LMITO from the last time the Coalition were in office. Anthony Albanese, not to be outdone, pledged $10 billion to build 100,000 homes for first-home buyers in partnership with the states, just a tweak of the promise to build lots of house from last time around.
That’s ten billion dollars each for ideas we’ve seen before, served up with a fresh coat of political spin.
I got a better idea: how about $10 billion for migraine instead?
Migraine is the most underfunded, underdiagnosed, and undertreated health condition in Australia. It is responsible for more time on welfare and more lost productivity than any other illness. It’s also the leading cause of disability among young people and women in this country. And yet, it remains on the fringes of health policy—dismissed, stigmatised, and ignored.
Why? Because migraine is still seen by many as “just a headache”.
This toxic misconception has very real consequences. People with migraine are excluded from healthcare and disability statistics, struggle to access basic medical support, and are often denied the dignity of being believed. The economic impact? In 2017, Deloitte Access Economics estimated migraine cost the economy $36 billion annually and that figure is now seriously out of date. With inflation and more Australians being diagnosed every day, the cost today is likely to be closer to $50 billion a year.
And still, migraine barely rates a mention in health funding discussions. In any discussions really.
Not even in all the Labor party’s self congratulatory chatter about what they’re doing for women’s health was there a mention of migraine. And this is despite the fact that one in 3 women, up to as many as 45% of women aged between 35 and 55, live with migraine. Half a million Australians are needlessly debilitated by migraine every day.
Yeah, I bang on about migraine a lot. But that’s because I was one of those completely debilitated people. For 10 years I didn’t work, required care, and basically didn’t live – just existed. And then along came the new CGRP drugs, and I got my life back.
My drug, Aimovig, was found to be safe, effective and cost effective by the independent body that advises the government on these things (the PBAC) in 2019. It was formally recommended to be listed on the PBS in November of last year, but has still not been listed. I’m still paying $695 every four weeks to be functional. I’m fortunate that I can find that cash – most can’t.
There are 500,000 of me. Mostly women, mostly in the prime of their lives, debilitated by migraine.
The Government is sitting on massive amounts of data from the three dugs they have listed on the PBS that the new CGRPs don’t just work, they work bloody well, are tolerated well with very few side effects, with four out of five patients having a completely life changing impact of near complete eradication of migraine attacks, being able to go back to work, look after their kids, and do a whole lot more than just go to the doctor or the pharmacy and back to bed.
There’s another 1.5 million Australians, again mostly women, who have pretty bad migraine that significantly affects their lives, families and careers, but do not qualify for the strict criteria to get the three medications that are on the PBS for the lucky few, or just flat out don’t know that the new CGRP drugs exist.
We’re not asking for special treatment. All we’re asking is for equal access to the medications, care, and support available to Australians living with other chronic conditions.
That’s it.
Nothing radical—just healthcare equity.
Migraine Australia – an organisation that I founded because we shockingly needed to fight really hard for our right to healthcare – has been doing their best to raise awareness and provide support to the most neglected patient group in the country. With next to no money and just volunteer power they have made a huge difference, but they can’t do it all.
We do need significant investment to make the most of the migraine revolution. Decades of neglect mean there are few ready-made programs to slot into or boost up; most migraine patients have been left to fend for themselves. And there’s literally millions of us, which means the price tag is always going to be billions.
$10 billion would be fantastic, thanks. There’s a list of things to spend it on in the pre-budget submission here, and I have plenty more on my personal wish list if there’s any change left over.
A serious investment from either major party would be a game-changer, both for those living with migraine, and the nation.
It’s a big decision, yes, but one with huge upside. A government willing to take a whole of economy view would see the return on investment quickly. With better treatment access, people with migraine could return to work, reduce reliance on welfare, and contribute more in tax revenue. We would also see improvements in wellbeing, family stability, and healthcare costs across the board. Not to mention business productivity improving thanks to a big drop in absenteeism and presenteeism.
In other words, $10b on migraine would return more than $10b to the economy and the budget, so unlike a tax cut or home building subsidy, giving migraine a break would pay for itself.
We can’t cure migraine – it’s a genetic sensory processing disorder, no pill or shot will make it go away. But we can manage it—effectively, compassionately, and affordably. And if we do that, then everybody wins.
So, how about it, Mr. Dutton? Prime Minister Albanese? Enough with the reruns. If you want to show real leadership, commit to give migraine a break and give millions of Australians a fair go.
If nothing else, at least it would be more original than reheated left-overs.
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