[Diny]

I know there's always the on-going discussion regarding the fact that health care over here isn't free ... when really it isn't free at home either, but I have to say I walked out of the doctors clinic this afternoon feeling a little 'wounded'.

Absolutely nothing wrong with me - fit as a fiddle. Nothing wrong with Fergie either - he's an even fitter fiddle. However, I needed some migraine medication (last lot was prescribed in UK, this is the first time I've requested some over here so couldn't just ask for a repeat prescription).

Fergie needed a new epi-pen (he has a VERY bad nut allergy), also his puffer was out of date.

We went to see the doc, who after about a 30 second discussion wrote new prescriptions for our meds and then spent the next 5 mins telling us about his fantastic holiday he'd had in the UK earlier this year.

We thanked him and left. On the way out we were charged $76 just for the visit (can't even claim it was a consultation). I haven't collected the medicine yet ... Lord only knows how much that is going to cost us.

I know the NHS was paid for by our taxes, but $76 did make me flinch !!!!

Diny

[diforsyth]

We paid £26 a time in Jersey to see the doctor and I thought that was steep until I saw this post. The fee was also topped up by another £20+ by the government - not a bad hourly rate when it's added up :roll

[Kim39]

This is one that does get me a little angry. Having visited the quacks over here for various injuries and not ailments i am surprised how much as a family we have spent(cash) spending time in his surgery. I know there are certain occasions where a visit is neccessary, but quite recently after suffering an injury in work i was told to return to the quack for a return to work note, and this cost 20 bucks. Now back home i would have just phoned work told them i was fit, and bob's your uncle i was back earning. Luckily for us Elaine has southern cross health care which her employer provides, but at a cost to her, and we are able to claim against all associated health costs, so hopefully we aren't too bad in that respect. It is an eye opener when you think for every visit you get hit for a consultation fee along with prescription fees.

Also recently after a torn quad, i was referred to a physio. Now this guy is good at his job and i was under his care for about 10 weeks, and i would have loved to seen his bill after the treatment. I returned a few weeks ago for a bit of advice regarding a lumber strain i received in work. Within 2 mins i was on the damn treatment bench and he was pulling and prodding me, which was followed by a questionnaire which had ACC all over it. It just seems as if we are a quick financial present to them when we walk through their doors and they sit there rubbing their hands.



Kim

[scotia]

Because of the high charges I was wondering if people in NZ make more use of their pharmacists than we do in the Uk, to avoid paying heaps each time for a Dr's consultation. I know for some things its not possible but would people think of going to the pharmacist first to see if they could put them right and then take a trip to the Dr if a prescription is needed? Just a thought. I know you would've had no option Diny for the ailments you described but it sure seems like a lot of money! I hope you're feeling better, by the way how much are you expecting the prescription to be?!
Cheers
Scotia

[Diny]

Because of the high charges I was wondering if people in NZ make more use of their pharmacists than we do in the Uk, to avoid paying heaps each time for a Dr's consultation. I know for some things its not possible but would people think of going to the pharmacist first to see if they could put them right and then take a trip to the Dr if a prescription is needed? Just a thought. I know you would've had no option Diny for the ailments you described but it sure seems like a lot of money! I hope you're feeling better, by the way how much are you expecting the prescription to be?!
Cheers
Scotia


Yeah - I do use the pharmasist alot more over here. But thankfully (touching wood) I have very little need for the services of a doctor (at this stage). I'm a strapping, healthy mare I'm happy to say.


I'll collect the prescriptions today and let you know how much they cost.

Diny

[K&CS]

I never used to visit the dr unless it was really necessary in the UK (being a dr's daughter, I was kind of brought up not to 'bother' the dr - that's probably why I managed to have rheumatic fever and a fractured wrist - both which weren't diagnosed for weeks because we couldn't 'bother' the dr). The same goes for here, although I would have sent OH to the dr in the UK for his hayfever drugs. He suffers really badly, but he's not prepared to pay $50 for a consultation then $15 for a prescription, so he's just going to have to buy something over the counter.

I'm not sure if dr's fees are the same in every practice in NZ or not - at ours, we pay $50 per adult and $20 per child (either over 5 or 6). I could be wrong, but I think there is also a small fee for infants (please correct me if I am wrong). Although, I certainly wouldn't go to the dr for something trivial, costs aside, I will always make sure we visit the dr if necessary, regardless of the cost. Our health is just too important to put a price on.

[Diny]

Well I think I need a doctor after paying for this lot.

Just got back from collecting the prescritions.

My migraine tables cost $105.26 - govt subsidy $90.26 total to pay $15.00

Ventolin puffer $14.24 - govt sub $749 - total to pay - $6.65

Skin cream - $23.36 - govt sub - $20.36 - total topy $3.00

Wait for it ...........

Epipen Junior - $175.00 - govt sub $0.00 - total to pay - $175.00

Handy hint for the day .... if you have a child who has a bad nut allergy and needs an epipen ....... sell him/her to medical science !!!!


And to add insult to injury ... they don't keep the epipens in stcok so tomorrow I've got to drive all the way back into town to collect it. Only a round journey of 30km but irritating all the same !!!

Diny

[Caspar]

Quiet a shopping list Diny :laugh I have a fare few scripts to get occasionally to and paid out heaps when we first got here, now I find this service is available to all communitys where I just ring the doctors surgery, speak to a nurse and she gets the doc to write a prescription and faxes it to the pharmacy!! No hassles mate!!

I pay $10 for that service plus $2 fax fee (which I can avoid if I pick up the script). Most scripts have repeats for a year or so which means you can just go straight to pharmacy to pick up new tabs - no charge - so it needn't be expensive. I do object to the kids charges through but the wife usually speaks to chemist.

For the service I get, at the time I want it and the fantastic Dr we have I'm more than happy to pay out to see him when its really needed. Here in central Chch there are lots of surgerys to pick from and 24hr places if you need themm.

[K&CS]

hmm, I must admit that I haven't got my head around the pricing. Is there some sort of scale? Had to get some antihistamine on prescription last week for dd1 which cost $3 which I was quite happy about, but I've paid a lot more for other things. Are most kids' medicines subsidised? That list of yours, Diny, all sounds ok except for the Epipen, which does seem pretty extreme. In the UK, it's around £7 per prescription, although it's free for kids, so I guess you're used to getting most of that list foc.

I guess I'll know more the next time I end up with a big 'shopping list' like Diny!

[Kim39]

Just had a pleasant(sp) surprise. Just had Nic to see specialist about the knee injury she sustained in August(having physio still), in there for no more than 4 mins, only words used by him " think we'll have a scan" along with Uhmm, arghhhh. Cost for those 4 mins and few words.....zilch:raebanana

Hate to think what the cost of the MRI could be:confused:


Kim

[Xaviera]

Well I think I need a doctor after paying for this lot.

Just got back from collecting the prescritions.

My migraine tables cost $105.26 - govt subsidy $90.26 total to pay $15.00

Ventolin puffer $14.24 - govt sub $749 - total to pay - $6.65

Skin cream - $23.36 - govt sub - $20.36 - total topy $3.00

Wait for it ...........

Epipen Junior - $175.00 - govt sub $0.00 - total to pay - $175.00

Handy hint for the day .... if you have a child who has a bad nut allergy and needs an epipen ....... sell him/her to medical science !!!!


And to add insult to injury ... they don't keep the epipens in stcok so tomorrow I've got to drive all the way back into town to collect it. Only a round journey of 30km but irritating all the same !!!

Diny

So you paid $24.65 toward your medications and the people in NZ paid $118.11 - is it your argument that the tax paying inhabitants of this country are responsible for all your medical bills? Just curious.

Not including the epipen of course.

[Diny]

Woah...... I need the doctor yet again now to sew up the gaping hole you've just ripped out of my throat !!!!!

My original post was about paying to see the doctor. If you look at the title of this thread it's actually called ......"PAYING TO SEE THE DOCTOR".

I don't believe I've put any kind of arguement forward, I've simply informed people that a 5 min consultation with the doctor (most of which was spent chatting about his holiday) cost $76.00.

Somebody asked me to let them know what the prescription charges were, today I found out.

The 3 lesser meds were - IMHO - very reasonable and largely subsidised. The epipen wasn't ...... it cost me $175 - it cost the tax payer NOTHING.

I'm not putting forward an arguement - I'm putting forward facts.

Yes I was taken aback at the price of the chat with the doctor - and yes I was stunned at the price of the epipen (in the UK my son got these totally free of charge in so much as there was no over the counter direct payment from us).

I guess where there's a stick somebody is gonna grab the wrong end of it.

Diny

[Moorf]

Kim - you shouldn't need to pay for scan as referred by doc ;)

[Brijan]

Hi Diny
My only experiance of the Dr's here in NZ was 3 weeks ago, in the space of 2 hours at work i had an unbeleivable pain in my leg that went from nothing to wanting someone to cut it off.
OH phoned Dr and got an appt same evening, i went straight from work had a very thorough examination and was sent straight to hospital where i stayed for 6 days on IV antibiotics, sent home to get better and now back at work.:nice1.
The visit to the Dr's was $50 and the prescription i was sent home with cost $15. :)
I have nothing but praise for the people that looked after me but i understand fully where your coming from. $175 for something that is utterly crucial for a child is shamefull, hopefully you'll never need to use it.

[incredible hulse]

Diny
You got a bargain on the ventolin - 1 puffer cost me 19.50 ! :(

Still that's small fry compared to the news that Pharmac will not authorise some medicine that my 3 year old (with special needs) would really benefit from and was receiving in the UK and is subsidised in most other developed countries. Looking at about 15K per annum if we decide to go for it now that the UK supply has run out. This may be the thing that forces our hand on whether we stay or go to be honest. Must say that people who knock the NHS and believe the NZ system is much better are way off the mark when it comes to specialist service provision and kid's care IMHO.

[Diny]

Brijan & IH .... thanks for your comments.

Looking at this from a different angle. Earlier this year I had abit of a health scare and my doctor said I needed an ultrasound scan.

I paid to go private (as I always do in such cases .... NOT bleeding the tax payer as hinted at above). I got an appointment immediately - and I mean immediately and it cost me $130 (approx 35 pounds). I've had 'private' scans back in the UK and have had to wait at least a week and been charged well in excess of 160 pounds.

Swings and roundabouts I guess.

[scotia]

Thanks for all the info Diny, for us coming out to NZ its important to know about the difference in medical care - it sounds OK, on balance probably better than depending on the NHS. Sorry someone had a go at you - it was me that asked about the prescription costs. Thanks again
Scotia

[Diny]

Thanks for all the info Diny, for us coming out to NZ its important to know about the difference in medical care - it sounds OK, on balance probably better than depending on the NHS. Sorry someone had a go at you - it was me that asked about the prescription costs. Thanks again
Scotia


Yeah I guess when you 'do the math' it pretty much balances out. As far as childrens meds go, it may be an idea to visit the doctor in the UK before you head out here and 'stock pile' a few.

One thing that I will sing the praises of over here is the fact that you can see a doctor at the drop of a hat - none of this waiting for days/weeks. In my mind, when you're ill/worried you need a doctore there and then !!!!

Diny

[voxel]

My migraine tables cost $105.26 - govt subsidy $90.26 total to pay $15.00

In NZ, it seems medication is cheap / subsidized but "not" doctor's visits. It's a fair trade. In Canada, it's the opposite. Free doctor visits and very expensive medication if you aren't covered by a private health plan.

I prefer the free doctor visits over cheap drugs.

[Avalon]

Well I think I need a doctor after paying for this lot.

Just got back from collecting the prescritions.

My migraine tables cost $105.26 - govt subsidy $90.26 total to pay $15.00


Hubby just a script for some of these as well - we havent actually taken it to the pharmacy yet. Dont suppose you know if its subsidised for everyone? Just hoping :laugh

And he only had to pay $50 for the docs (Ive said elsewhere its only $18 to see our docs - but that's wrong - its $18 to see the nurse). But for that he didnt get written off work for 2 weeks - so well worth it for us as it happens :nice1

[Diny]

. Dont suppose you know if its subsidised for everyone? Just hoping


Well I guess theymust be Av because I don't fall into any 'special' category.

I don't have a 'community services' card (I think that's what they're called) and I'm not entitled to any other kind of benefit, the subsidy just automatically applied.

Hope this helps.

Diny

[jo-and-jeff]

Hubby just a script for some of these as well - we havent actually taken it to the pharmacy yet. Dont suppose you know if its subsidised for everyone?
To be eligible for publicly funded health care you must be lawfully in New Zealand at the time of seeking services and meet one of the Eligibility Direction's specified criteria.

In general you are eligible if you are:
a New Zealand citizen
a residence permit holder
a long term (two years or more) work permit holder
an Australian resident or citizen living in New Zealand on a permanent basis, or
meet one of the other specified eligibility criteria
Guide to Eligibility for Publicly Funded Health and Disability Services in NZ (http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/238fd5fb4fd051844c256669006aed57/643d1f622c5cf7f1cc256dba00731108?OpenDocument)

You can check a drug's cost, if it's subsidised, on Pharmac's Interactive Schedule (http://www.pharmac.govt.nz/interactive/).

Jo

[incredible hulse]

In NZ, it seems medication is cheap / subsidized but "not" doctor's visits. It's a fair trade. In Canada, it's the opposite. Free doctor visits and very expensive medication if you aren't covered by a private health plan.

I prefer the free doctor visits over cheap drugs.
Not all medication is subsidised in NZ. As I mentioned earlier medication for our son does not pass Pharmacs tests (this is solely due to cost saving measures rather than medical evidence/opinion - the medication is readily available in US, UK, Canada, Oz, France for example) and will cost us about 15K per year if we want to continue the treatment. I believe this is the case with some drugs commonly used in brain tumour treatements, cancer and probably other.

[Avalon]

Diny & Jo-

Cheers. Seems that Alans is covered - he has Imigran. Also, my brother's epliepsy med seems to be subsideised - so when he gets PR - that will be good news indeed.

[jubjub]

the subsidy also applies to the brand of medicine for instance my over the counter eye drops cost anything from $6 - $15, depending on which manufacturer you chose, they are all the same inside the bottle/packaging! but the pharmacist told me that the $6 ones are more heavily subsidised. :confused:

Our docs cost $57 for us, and nothing for AJ until he is 6, and we get an appt the same day (unless we want a specific doc and they are booked or its their day off).

[Hannah]

Diny, youve got it all wrong - you need to go into your doctors and complain about all the headaches you are getting after falling down the stairs and banging your head ..... so ACC can pay.

As for the nut allergy..... Fergie was walking down the road and this nut just came out and thumped him..... so ACC can pay.


A bit tongue in cheek, but it amazes me in NZ that you can fall off a horse, paralyse yourself and get your long term care funded by ACC - yet you can have a spinal tumour that has the same impact and get no help with your long term care. Weird.

Did any of you know that a white tailed spider bite, that leads to an infection requiring antibiotics, will be funded by ACC as its an 'external' cause to your infection. Same with dog bite, treading on a rusty nail etc. I didn't know until my mate in Palmy got bitten by a white tail.

But then surely all infections are external? Colds come from other people - external cause - ACC can pay!

Still can't get my head round it all......