‘Not a lot’ for older people
Peter Gwynne will be needing a knee replacement in the future. The 67-year-old knows he will have to go under the knife before he hits retirement because there is no way he will be able to afford medical insurance on a pension. While working, Gwynne and his wife were paying about $400 a month for medical insurance. He did not think the $39.6 million boost to the Canterbury District Health Board’s $1.38 billion budget for health and disability services would make a difference to those needing elective surgery. ‘‘I don’t see it being a lot of use at this stage,’’ Gwynne said. Gwynne, a social network coordinator for Age Concern Canterbury, said he was concerned about how he and his wife would manage further down the track. ‘‘When you get into the sixtiesplus, the average Joe Blow can’t afford medical insurance because it just goes through the roof.
‘‘Therefore you are relying on the public health system . . . and then if you have to have a [nonurgent] operation, you have to go on a huge waiting list.
‘‘I’ve got medical insurance but when I retire, which will be happening in the next couple of years, my wife and I won’t be able to afford medical insurance. So we’ll be relying on the health system too and that’s when you need it. That’s when you’re going to have your hip replacements and those sorts of things.’’
Gwynne said he saw the impact that wait times and affordability of procedures and operations had on the elderly.
The Christchurch man was also disappointed in the modest increase to the pension announced in Thursday’s Budget.
The couple’s rate for superannuitants would increase by $13.12 a week on April 1 next year in addition to the normal adjustments.
‘‘That’s a positive thing but it still probably isn’t enough – with the cost of living increasing, it’s still not a lot for a couple to live on.
‘‘People rely on [Age Concern] for outings … and that’s all they get. Some people can’t even afford to get out on our coffee groups because they can’t afford a coffee.
‘‘It’s definitely not enough to survive on. I see a lot of people in our work that just have superannuation and it’s week to week-type survival.
‘‘If you want to maintain your current lifestyle, you need to retire on an income of 70 per cent of pre-retirement income. You need to have a huge lump sum to maintain trips and things like that but I guess that is down to individual savings.’’