[Oregonkiwi]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10448769

Most New Zealanders aged 25 to 44 will enjoy cheaper visits to the GP from tomorrow.

Subsidies will cover 750,000 to 800,000 people in that age group, the last to benefit from the Government's seven-year spending programme on primary healthcare.

Costs to the patient for a visit to the GP will be $27.50 lower and prescription fees will drop from $15 to $3. The move will cost the taxpayer roughly $67 million (excluding GST) in the first year alone. GP fees average around $50 but vary widely throughout the country and can cost up to $70.

[Danny & Julie]

Thanks for the info:yes
I hope this happens at my Doctors it's $63.00 a visit for that age bracket at the moment so I've been looking at other doctors in town. We have health insurance but the max they will pay out is $32.00 a visit.

[jubjub]

Ours is $59, and I need to go soon.... so this is good news indeed!

[pinkpiggy]

I haven't had need to go to the docs yet but both me and OH fall into this category.

[Oregonkiwi]

The Herald did a survey of doctors' prices in Auckland:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10450092

[Super_BQ]

This is good news!!

Growing up in Canada all doctor visits were free. The gov't gets the income the other way by those who are on low income would get the Care Card for free while those that were on the high income $150K and up would only pay a maximum of $360/year for the whole family. The Care Card identifies the person has full coverage. If you were a tourist or a non-resident, then you would pay like $65 to visit.

So it was unusual at 1st to pay at every visit to the doctor despite income taxes are higher in NZ than most other countries.

[Questor]

Just a clarification to this - it's only cheaper if you're registered as a PHO patient, with your usual doctor - if you need to go to an after hours doctor, for example, it will still be the more expensive price

Jon

[wanderingoregonian]

ah ha.. now I understand why it was one price one week and one the next. I remember when I scheduled my 1st appointment the kind lady mentioned that the govt was thinking of subsidizing my age group in the future - I would have waited for my appointment if I had known it was going to be so soon!

Then again, back home I probably would have waited 2-4 weeks for the appointment, so I have no complaints. My doctor even called me today to check up on something. On a saturday! Again, coming from the American system I am slightly in awe of these types of things.