Cheaper doctor visits to aid 600,000 Kiwis
The cost of visiting the doctor is set to get cheaper for 600,000 New Zealanders from this weekend.
It is good news for the likes of some Ka¯piti Coast residents who call for an ambulance to Wellington because it is cheaper than visiting the GP.
Free and cheaper doctors visits were announced in Budget 2018 and will be implemented from today.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said making cost less of a barrier would mean more people would be able to get the care they need, when they need it.
Up to 540,000 community services card holders will see the cost of visiting the doctor fall by $20-$30.
This will include about 80,000 people who will be newly eligible for a community service card because they receive an accommodation supplement or an income-related rent subsidy. On top of that 56,000 13-year-olds will also now become eligible for free primary care.
‘‘In a country like New Zealand, cost should not put people off going to see the doctor when they’re sick,’’ Ardern said.
‘‘I’m proud of that.’’ Ardern, Health Minister David Clark and NZ First Health spokeswoman Jenny Marcroft marked the milestone at the Island Bay Medical Centre in Wellington.
Capital & Coast District Health Board planning and funding general manager Rachel Haggerty discussed the benefits for the entire health system.
The district health board was expecting and predicting better use of its hospitals and better use of the hospital emergency department for people who really needed it.
‘‘We have hundreds of people who come down [to Wellington] from Ka¯ piti because it’s cheaper to call an ambulance for them than to attend general practice.
‘‘This will make a significant difference because the benefits are direct and immediate,’’ she said.
Tu¯ Ora Compass Health chairman Dr Larry Jordan said one of the anxieties from healthcare professionals was capacity and minimising unintended consequences.
‘‘I plea for you to keep engaging with us all.
‘‘There is a real anxiety about capacity and whether we can do this.
‘‘We expect more uptake and families to bring their kids in more and will we have enough staff to do it?
‘‘Doctor fees are down but what about all the other fees?’’
Clark said that last year more than half a million people didn’t go to their GP because of the cost and that was ‘‘a shocking number’’.
‘‘We’re tackling that directly by reducing fees for those most in financial need.’’
Cheaper doctors visits would also mean many health issues could be identified and treated early before they became major problems requiring expensive hospital treatment, he said.
More than 80 per cent of general practices have signed up to deliver cheaper visits for their patients.
NZ First health spokeswoman Jenny Marcroft was excited that the party’s long-held policy to extend free GP visits to under-14s had finally become a reality.
Its implementation was a key commitment in the Labour-New Zealand First coalition agreement, she said.
The core policy built on the party’s 1996 policy of free GP visits for children aged under 6, Marcroft said.
‘‘Access to primary healthcare is essential as it is where problems are identified and potentially treated early, saving costs down the line.’’
Next year’s Budget would further refine the strategic direction being set for primary health investment, which included consideration of the coalition agreement commitment for a free annual health check for SuperGold cardholders, she said.