What
will medical care cost you?
New Zealand's
healthcare system is funded mainly through general taxation. To ordinarily
residents and citizens of some countries treatments
are usually free or subsidised. Medical treatment is generally very good.
For those who want private healthcare is also available.
In
New Zealand, health problems are essentially divided into two categories,
e.g. health problems which arise out of an accident and health problems
which do not arise out of an accident. Health problems which arise out of
an accident are subsidised by the New Zealand Government through the
Accident Rehabilitation & Compensation Insurance Corporation (usually
referred to as "The Accident Compensation Corporation" or
"ACC"). The Corporation makes payments to individuals who have
suffered injury or disability as a result of an accident. On the other
hand, if the individual has health needs or problems which have not been
caused as a result of an accident, then the medical and health care
required for that individual is still heavily subsidised by the New
Zealand Government but not through the Accident Rehabilitation &
Compensation Insurance Corporation. The particular distinction under the
public health system for health problems resulting from an accident and
health problems which are not a result of an accident is not really
important for a newly arrived immigrant to New Zealand. The basic point is
that from the moment an ordinary resident arrives in New Zealand, he or
she and his or her dependant family is covered under New Zealand's public
health system.
Who is
eligible ?
New
Zealand Citizen and ordinarily residents. To become an
ordinarily resident you need to be a permanent resident or a work-permit
holder. The work-permit must be for a minimum of two years at time of
issue. If you meet the criteria, your partner and children aged 19 years
or under will also be eligible for publicly funded healthcare. New Zealand has a reciprocal arrangement
with some countries (e.g., Australia, UK, Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau) whereby
no charge is applied to non-residents of New Zealand.
When is
publicly funded healthcare free?
Public
healthcare is free for: hospital treatment including 24-hour
accident and emergency (A&E) clinics; serious mental health disorders;
children's immunisations;
prescription medicine for children under six; people who need more than 20
prescriptions per year; prescription medicines for all public hospital
patients; most laboratory tests and x-rays, except at privately operated
clinics; healthcare during pregnancy and childbirth. This covers
everything from the diagnosis of pregnancy to pre- and post-natal care for
mother and baby. There is no charge for hospital stays; general
practitioner (GP) referrals to a public hospital for treatment; check-ups
and basic dental treatment for schoolchildren; breast-screening for women
aged 50 to 64; acute or chronic medical conditions.
What
healthcare is subsidised but not free?
Prescription
items; Visits to general practitioners; Visits to physiotherapists; chiropractors and osteopaths when
referred by a GP; Ambulance services.
How
big a financial contribution towards medical costs will I have to make?
A visit to your
General Practitioner (GP) costs $45 to $55 between around 8:00am -
6:00pm. Visits at weekends or nights cost $10 to $15 more. Visits to your
General Practitioner are subsidised by $15 for children aged 6-17
years and by $35 for children under six. Many General Practitioner's waive the fee entirely
for children under six. Adults who visit the doctor frequently, or who
receive social benefits, receive a $15 subsidy. If your General
Practitioner prescribes medicines for you, you will pay $15 per
item for up to 20 items a year. Community Services Card holders (people on low incomes) and High
Use Health Card holders pay only $3 per item for their first 20 items of
medicine. If there is a manufacturer's premium, this is added in all
cases, even when the prescription is free or heavily subsidised.
Non-subsidised items such as Xenical are available at full cost. Ambulance services may cost $45 - $65
How
long do I need to wait for treatment?
General
Practitioner's will usually see you on the day you make an appointment. The
government does not fund the public health system generously enough to
allow most hospital treatments, other than accident/emergency care, to be
carried out immediately. Waiting times for surgery vary from hospital to
hospital.
What
if I need specialist care?
You need your General Practitioner to refer you to a specialist. Specialist care is free.
Waiting times vary according to region, urgency and type of treatment
involved. If you prefer not to wait and opt for a private specialist, you,
or your medical insurance, will be required to cover all fees.
What
role does private healthcare play in New Zealand?
Many New Zealanders have private health insurance because it allows them
to bypass the waiting times in the public health system for treatment of
non-urgent conditions. People who have private health insurance are also
entitled to free public health services.
Purchasing health insurance means that the individual pays an annual
premium to an insurance company in exchange for which all or part of the
individual health expenses (for treatment at private hospitals) are paid
for by the insurance company. The more cover the individual wants, the
higher the premium. For example, for approximately NZ$550 per year an
individual can recover 80% of his or her surgical and medical costs. For
NZ$950.00 per year the individual can recover 100% of the individual's
medical costs including doctors' bills, surgery, optical care and
dentistry. The cost of fully insuring a family of four (two adults and two
children) under the private health system for 100% of health costs, would
be approximately NZ$3,360.00.
What if I
have an accident ?
If
you suffer injury or
disability as a result of an accident, applications may be made to the
Accident Rehabilitation and Compensation Insurance Corporation (ACC) for either
loss of earnings due to disability or a claim for the costs of on-going
medical treatment. The claim for loss of earnings due to disability can be
made at the rate of 80% of the person's salary.
What is
the
Accident Rehabilitation and Compensation Insurance Corporation (ACC)
role in New Zealand?
The
ACC subsidises treatment of accident-related injuries. The patient
usually pays a part-charge for the treatment. If your injury stops you
from working, ACC pays compensation, usually based on 80% of your weekly
income before tax. It can also help with residential nursing care, home
help and childcare, as well as subsidising transport and training costs
while you recover. In some cases involving permanent physical
impairment, compensation, or 'lump sum', financial payments are also
made.
Who can I
sue if I am injured?
You
cannot sue anyone for compensation. The Accident Compensation Corporation
(ACC) helps to pay for the cost of your care. Injuries from work, home and
sports or other leisure activities are covered. ACC claims may also be
made for personal injury caused by a medical mistake or error, sexual
assault or abuse, and some work-related conditions.
In
summary then, New Zealand offers an immigrant two health choices:
-
Ordinary
residents may choose to be covered by the Government's public health
system, in which case the individual will pay minimal charges for
health care but may occasionally have to wait some time for non-urgent
health care.
-
The
individual may purchase private health insurance and receive health
care immediately and at a "private" hospital.
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