Tony Ryall National Party Health Spokesman Thursday 26 June 2008, 2:38PM
Media release from Tony Ryall, National Party Health
Spokesman
Hospital waiting lists are set to grow and health insurance
premiums are set to rocket, as the Ministry of Health indicates a
possible change in policy on pharmaceutical subsidies, says
National's Health spokesman, Tony Ryall.
In the Health Select Committee yesterday, the Director-General of
Health, Stephen McKernan, indicated that the Ministry would be
reviewing subsidised pharmaceuticals for patients being treated by
a private specialist. Currently, patients receiving care from a
private specialist receive the same pharmaceutical subsidies as
patients receiving care from a public hospital specialist.
"Many people go to a private specialist because they can't get
timely treatment in the public health system," says Mr Ryall.
"More and more New Zealanders are choosing to pay the full cost of
private treatment without health insurance. Until now, apart from
paying $15 per prescription item, any pharmaceuticals have been
subsidised according to the Pharmac schedule.
"Now the Ministry of Health says this could breach the Government's
'policy provision' that if a patient is treated in private then the
costs are private.
"This is total confusion. It is one thing for the Government to
support loading the costs for lab tests onto patients seen by a
private specialist, but another to make them pay for the full cost
of pharmaceuticals. This could prove very costly for many patients
who will have no other option but to join growing hospital waiting
lists.
"There is always going to be some division between public and
private services. But removing pharmaceutical subsidies from
patients who, for example, go to a private cardiologist or
gynaecologist, is a significant policy change and New Zealanders
must be made aware of it.
"This is ideology out of control."