[Aug & Feb]

How do Kiwis reduce their medical bills ? Did they have medical insurance ?

What do you recommend ?

The visits to see doctor (family doctor) is at least NZ$50 per visit. All kids above 5 years old...also has to pay to see a doctor ay NZ$33... I am told that prescription of medicine is not even included in the NZ$50 fee ?

Therefore, on top of NZ$50...still have to pay for medicine.... :no :eek

[Moorf]

This thread may help re docs/medicine costs:-

http://www.emigratenz.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1049&highlight=prescriptions

[Aug & Feb]

Thanks Moorf for the link. :P

[KiwiB]

<How do Kiwis reduce their medical bills ? Did they have medical insurance ? What do you recommend?>

1. Not seeing a doctor for every minor ailment like cough, colds, or flu cos it makes little or NO difference in the recovery time.

2. Sports injuries or little accidents (sprains, falls, cuts etc) are covered automatically by ACC (Accident and Compensation Corp) funded by the taxpayer and it is supposed to be free. However some GPs charge a hefty admin fee while others do not. Must be well informed so as NOT to be SHOCKED.

3. If on income less than $30+ thousand or lower (depending on number of dependant children) a community services card enables discounted GP visits eg around $18 for the enrolled patient.

4. Shop around the clinics, there is a great disparity in GP consultation prices.

Of course I go to a clinic to get my FLU vaccination from a Nurse stationed at one of the GP clinics for $13 (subsidised)

5. A comprehensive Medical Health insurance that covers GP visits may require hefty premiums. Need to Weigh the pros and cons if you are generally healthy. If one is generally sickly, it won't be long before the premiums rise rapidly to reflect your poor state of health too.

<The visits to see doctor (family doctor) is at least NZ$50 per visit. All kids above 5 years old...also has to pay to see a doctor ay NZ$33... I am told that prescription of medicine is not even included in the NZ$50 fee ?>

Depends again on which GP you see and all kids below 6 are supposed to have free visits. Prices for after office hours and weekends or casual walkin patients are higher too. However some GPs don't even charge high school children up to the age of 18 as a community service to the school concerned.

And yes, consultation fees DO NOT include medication. You have to go to a pharmacy with a prescription from the GP. I've heard that there are calls to implement this in SG too.

In conclusion, all over the world, the same problem is encountered; rising Medical costs that even welfare states are finding tough to contain and provide for citizens at low costs if NOT FREE.

KiwiBird7

[Jo and Andy]

I think i read somewhere that presecriptions are free after a certain number, something like 20 a year. Therefore if you are getting medication on a regular basis for a long term illness, asthma or something, make sure the prescriptions are not for large doses like you do in this country, but smaller ones. So you reach the free ones (Not sure if it works out though, only a thought.

[wilson182]

A visit to our Docs is $48 for me and DH if you pay on the day, my oldest daughter is $22 and the youngest, I had to take her the other day for an ear infection and throat infection and it cost $5. Her pre-school jabs and check up was free. Prescriptions are more expensive here.

However, DH has a condition called colitus and is on permanent medication. This is subsidised by the Gov, all he had to do was get a signature from a specialist. He gets three monthly prescritions at $15 for three months. Then he has to visit the doc or nurse althernatively. The nurse is cheaper than the doc. Contraceptives cost about $30 for a six month supply + the doc visit of course.

Generally we are pretty healthy :hopeso and these costs do not factor much in our day to day expenses.

[Dave & Sandra]

Well, the DIY has finally got to Dave and he fell off the ladder on Good Friday.

Frightened me to death the moans and groans coming from him - didn't know whether to call 111 or wait and see how he was. He was very badly winded and couldn't get his breath and luckily a friend turned up 5 minutes later and helped him to his feet only to find he couldn't put his weight on his left foot.

To cut a long story short - we went to City Doctors in Palmy where he was checked over and had an X-ray on his foot. Cost - $25 for X-ray and $25 for doctor. This was at 1:45pm. We were referred to Palmerston North hospital for a specialist to check out the X-rays. He was found to have fractured his heel bone and is now in plaster up to his knee for 6 weeks. We left the hospital at 7pm- just over 5 and a half hours of mainly hanging around waiting for something to happen. But no charge. So - all in all - it has cost $50 for a nasty accident. Worth every cent I would say. They also filled in the ACC forms so I think Dave can claim for 80% of his salary if he is unable to work. We went and bought an old banger of a car which is automatic for $500 so at least he is mobile and we are now a 3 car family just for the 2 of us. :?

We were supposed to be taking our ITA into NZIS in Palmy on Tuesday - :hopeso we will still be able to get there OK.

[Moorf]

Argh, poor Dave... :eek Hope it heals soon :yes

But hey, now we all know how cheap and quick the whole process is :mrgreen: and that the Govt ad's on telly are TRUE!

Five hours isn't bad either.. what was the hospital itself like? Clean? Modern? Many people waiting?

[Timbo]

Sorry to hear about your fall Dave. :hopeso for a speedy recovery.
It must be something to do with the time of year or something, as our eldest, James, tripped and broke his ankle in 3 places the same day. He now sports a nice blue half leg plaster, just in time for his wedding next Saturday.
Thanks for that posting Sandra. $50 for that kind of injury is not bad at all in my book.

I now refuse to carry out very high ladder work and insist on scaffolding. That next fall could easily be my last.

[Dave & Sandra]

Thanks for the good wishes folks - I will pass them on.

Our friend suggested that we call A&E at Palmerston North hospital first just to see how busy it was, after all it's better to sit around in discomfort at home rather than in a hospital waiting room. They said they were very busy and would probably have to wait 2 hours or more to be seen and suggested we go to City Doctors instead which is a small hospital near to the town centre. Called them and they said come on down. It was very quiet and modern and pleasant. What I couldn't get over was the fact that they had an Eftpos machine (same as Switch) in the X-Ray room and the radiologist swiped my card there and then for the $25 charge :laugh

Palmerston North hospital is very new and modern and by the time we got there, there was only one person in the A&E waiting room. A nurse called Suzy who had been in Palmy for 18 months from the UK plastered Dave's leg so we were chatting to her about immigration etc. Most of the waiting was because the specialist who had to look at the X-Rays was operating when we arrived so we had to wait for him and then tea-breaks got in the way before he could be plastered. Only complaint was that they had the central air-con on and it was freezing and we were only in tee shirts.

Not too bad an experience over all.

[Diny]

Ouch ... sounds painful.

Best wishes to Dave for a speedy recovery :hopeso

Diny

[annaerb]

I would suggest ringing around Doctors Surgeries to find out their charges as they all vary same with Dentists.

My Local Doc charges $47 Adult and $33 a child BUT if I go to family Doc in Sth Auck(great Doc & delivered my babies) he only charges $18 Adult & $5 per child.

[baboonworld]

My Mum just "saves up" a list of things - she wont ever go for just one thing

(Except the time a moth flew into her ear and the noise was so bad she thought she was going to go insane).

I thought contraception was free though??? (Poor memory obviously).

When I lived in NZ I had medical insurance - it also paid towards specs. I think it was part paid by my employer (cant remember as was over 10years ago).

Sure condoms were free - maybe just some weird dream.

Maybe that is why the population got past 4 million!!

[Moorf]

We've just taken out "trauma" insurance (or critical illness as it's called in the UK). Well worth it when heart surgery could cost you over $50k!!

And, it costs us just $45 a month... that's for two, not each. Peace of mind and no waiting lists. Also pays out lump sum of c. $200k if deemed "critical" but this doesn't mean fatal.

[ruthyroo]

Just to add

Definitely shop around and do register with a practice - it would cost us $50 to walk in off the street to our GP here but only $21 per visit as we are registered with them. Also certain medicines are subsidised and only cost $3 per prescription. I have swapped my pill brand to a subsidised one since coming here - suits me better in fact, and much cheaper than having the same one as the UK.