Money worries us big-time
‘ People say that cost is the reason for not getting dental treatment, but when it is free, we still get the same level of uptake.’ DAVID CRUM, NZ DENTAL ASSOCIATION
MONEY is the biggest stress in Kiwi lives, and the young are the most worried.
A survey by giant health insurer Southern Cross found six in ten felt stressed at least once a week, though it was the young, many of whom could not afford to buy a house and were trapped into expensive renting, who were the most affected.
For one-third of the people who reported being under stress, ‘‘having enough money to live on’’ was the number one concern.
A fifth were worried about paying their bills, or the mortgage.
This week has seen a drop in confidence in the property market, especially in Auckland where house prices have risen beyond the reach of young people not able to get a cash injection from wealthy parents.
Almost three-quarters of people under 50 felt stressed at least once a week, compared to just under 40 per cent of people aged 60 or over.
Money isn’t the only burden. Workload and work-life balance were also causing pressure.
Health concerns also figured highly in the Kantar TNS survey, with many claiming they were unable to afford bills such as dental care.
Four in ten people were not happy with their teeth, with most saying they simply couldn’t afford dentists’ fees.
Discoloured, missing and crooked teeth were the biggest concerns, but six in every 100 Kiwis were living with painful teeth, the survey found.
Only 44 per cent of people said they got annual or six-monthly dental check-ups.
That was actually an increase compared to October 2015, which dentists felt had been driven by the rise of payment plans and interest-free finance.
David Crum, dentist and chief executive of the New Zealand Dental Association, felt people who claimed they could not afford dental care were giving a ‘‘convenient’’ excuse for deciding to spend money on other, less important things.
The Consumer Price Index basket of goods and services, designed to replicate household spending preferences, showed 4.26 per cent spent on healthcare (including health insurance), compared to 7.47 per cent on alcohol and tobacco.
Crum said the nation spent more on things like pet food and Lotto than dental care.
There were people who did not have the money to pay, but many families were not even using the free dental care for under-18s.
‘‘People say that cost is the reason for not getting dental treatment, but when it is free, we still get the same level of uptake,’’ he said.
Wide variations in dental fees showed strong competition STACY SQUIRES / FAIRFAXNZ among dentists, he said, and people shopped around for their dental care.
Household budgets struggling to stretch to paying for private healthcare may be behind the survey finding that employersponsored super savings schemes and subsidised health insurance were the most popular perks offered by employers.
Free health checks came in fourth of the most favoured employment benefits.
Despite the state system, which treats patients for ‘‘free’’, already many are opting out of lengthy waiting lists, and paying for private surgery.
In the past two years, 14 per cent of people had private surgery. Roughly half of people said they would go private for surgery, with most using health insurance to pre-fund it.
Furry members of the family are also proving to be a cause of stress for many, with a third of pet-owners telling Southern Cross they found it hard to pay vets’ bills.
Southern Cross Health Society chief executive Peter Tynan said the number of Kiwis doing it tough, and being stressed at work, was incongruous set alongside historically low levels of unemployment, and the inability of people to afford houses was particularly frustrating for the young.
‘‘Owning your own home is a sign of success in New Zealand,’’ he said.
Not being able to achieve it stressed young people out.