Viewpoint – GP fees drop for some

First of all I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and I hope that the year started well for you.

I was lucky enough to have my parents from Holland visiting over the Christmas and New Year break. They visited me in Wellington for the last week of Parliament and it was good to be able to show them what it actually means to be a Member of Parliament. I wrote about this in my last column and received a lot of feedback from people who said they had not realised what we actually do as MPs.

My parents were most surprised about the hours we work and the amount of walking between meetings and the House sittings!

Over the break I managed to get out and about, visiting people and attending local events. It was a real privilege to be at the Hibiscus Coast LoveSoup Christmas dinner hosted by the fabulous Julie King and her team of volunteers.

More than 200 people, including many regulars, were treated to a lovely Xmas meal. A wonderful evening of sharing and caring.

Another great day was the Orewa Christmas at the Beach day – lots of good food and fun activities. Also enjoying the event was Janet from Maygrove Retirement Village, who gave me great feedback about the recent reduction of her doctor’s fees. I met Janet and some other Maygrove residents earlier in the year to discuss their concerns about doctors’ fees.

Before the last election, more than half a million New Zealanders a year avoided going to the GP because of cost. That just isn’t good enough.

Our Government has committed to improving primary health care and one of the changes we have implemented is fee reductions for GP visits for Community Service Card and SuperGold Card holders. This came into force from last December.

It’s important to note that not all GPs are offering lower fees. You can check if your GP is part of the Government’s lower GP fees scheme by asking them.

I am doing some work to find out which GPs have opted in, and will communicate that once I have the list complete.

We’ve also extended free doctors’ visits to all children under the age of 14, meaning a further 56,000 young New Zealanders will be eligible for free GP visits and prescriptions.

This matters not only for the people who get cheaper doctor’s visits, but for all New Zealanders. By removing cost as a barrier for primary health care and making it easier for people to visit their GP, we’re helping ease the strain on hospital emergency departments, leaving them to focus on critical care and saving taxpayers money in the long run.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2019.