Jacinda Ardern - our new PM

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Networkn
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#1959999 18-Feb-2018 18:03

Pumpedd:

Their election campaign was very clear....$16 doctor visits for all. National promised $19 visits. There was no buts or exceptions in Labours campaign.

I don't recall that. A google search also didn't mention that. What I see is that Labour promised $10 cheaper doctor visits for some groups from some practices.

I'd be interested in citation of your information.

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#1960032 18-Feb-2018 19:01

I did find this. I look forward to finding out where the $8 billion is coming from!

“GP practices will also get a further $46m over and above the funding to reduce fees, a 5 per cent increase on current funding. This will reflect the cost pressures they face and allow for extra demand. With the growing need for more GPs, Labour will also invest $30m over three years to boost the number of GP training places to 300 a year.

“This initiative will cut fees for New Zealanders while we undertake a full review of the primary care system aimed at better targeting subsidies, ensuring practices’ financial sustainability, and reducing other barriers to access. This review will keep zero fees for under 13s and look to further lower fees for others.

“Funding for this policy comes from the $8b of increased investment in health that Labour has pledged to make over the next four years."

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#1960035 18-Feb-2018 19:15

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96184452/labour-announces-plan-to-slash-doctors-fees

That is saying with a community services card it will cost $8/visit. I have a card and am charged $69 atm and have no other choices really.

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#1960051 18-Feb-2018 20:37

LOL hold on, you said Labour said $16 for all. Please provide a direct quote from an article or person that says Labour claimed GP visits would cost $16 per visit for ALL. No buts or exceptions you say, so same applies to you.

I'll wait.

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#1960060 18-Feb-2018 20:43

Labour leader Jacinda Ardern: "Half a million New Zealanders did not visit the doctor last year when they were sick due to cost. That's not acceptable in New Zealand.

@maxlv so if Labour is correct (and I have serious doubts about this) and half a million kiwis didn't go to the doctor (because of cost) and she intends on fixing that, do you think a 5% increase to doctors compensation is going to cover that? Do you think 500,000 is 5% of the current number of visits?

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#1960068 18-Feb-2018 21:41

Geektastic:

We get charged around $50 but certainly get some other charges. The one that REALLY annoys me is the repeat prescription charge.

Like a few others here, I have to take meds for the rest of my life. They won't ever stop unless there is an enormous leap in medical ability. I'm talking Star Trek style "jump in the scanner and all fixed, off you go my lad" kind of jump.

Yet, every 3 months, I get billed another $15 just so that they can print out the same prescription they have printed out every 3 months for years and sign it.

On a side note, our practice prints an A5 sheet of paper and hands it to every patient seeing the doc or nurse. The doc or nurse then marks on what they did for billing and you give it back to the receptionist who looks at it and raises the invoice. The geek in me screams at such a ludicrous waste of paper. There's a computer in the doctor's office and the nurse's offices, and two more on the reception desk. Surely they can make a way for them to communicate the billing without wasting ream after ream of A5 paper every year?!

As I understand it, the repeat prescription fee is charged to cover the nurse and doctors time to review your request, and if a review consultation with your doctor is required. As for your $15 charge, I have to pay $18 every 3 months and have at least one doctors review appointment each year. (that can be more often if my three monthly blood tests are showing my 'condition' is hasn't improved since the last blood test)

I currently pay $60 per doctors visit, but that'll be dropping to $8 from July.

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MaxLV

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#1960070 18-Feb-2018 21:53

networkn:

Pumpedd:

Their election campaign was very clear....$16 doctor visits for all. National promised $19 visits. There was no buts or exceptions in Labours campaign.

I don't recall that. A google search also didn't mention that. What I see is that Labour promised $10 cheaper doctor visits for some groups from some practices.

I'd be interested in citation of your information.

I cant remember $16 per doctors visit being promised by any party either. AT the moment if anyone has a community services card then their doctors visit fee will be $8 from July:

Labour has announced a plan to slash GPs' fees to target the 500,000 Kiwis who couldn't afford to go to the doctor in the last year.

Under the policy, New Zealanders with a community services card would be charged $8 to see the doctor - $10 cheaper than National's proposed $18 fee. Charges for teens would reduce from $12 to $2, and under-13s would still see the doctor for free.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96184452/labour-announces-plan-to-slash-doctors-fees

I'm also hopping the NZF election promise that Gold card holders will get one free eye examination and one free full hearing test every 12 months is included in these basic healthcare changes, but haven't been able to find if these were included in the coalition agreement or policy information about them.

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#1960078 18-Feb-2018 22:12

MaxLV:

Geektastic:

We get charged around $50 but certainly get some other charges. The one that REALLY annoys me is the repeat prescription charge.

Like a few others here, I have to take meds for the rest of my life. They won't ever stop unless there is an enormous leap in medical ability. I'm talking Star Trek style "jump in the scanner and all fixed, off you go my lad" kind of jump.

Yet, every 3 months, I get billed another $15 just so that they can print out the same prescription they have printed out every 3 months for years and sign it.

On a side note, our practice prints an A5 sheet of paper and hands it to every patient seeing the doc or nurse. The doc or nurse then marks on what they did for billing and you give it back to the receptionist who looks at it and raises the invoice. The geek in me screams at such a ludicrous waste of paper. There's a computer in the doctor's office and the nurse's offices, and two more on the reception desk. Surely they can make a way for them to communicate the billing without wasting ream after ream of A5 paper every year?!

As I understand it, the repeat prescription fee is charged to cover the nurse and doctors time to review your request, and if a review consultation with your doctor is required. As for your $15 charge, I have to pay $18 every 3 months and have at least one doctors review appointment each year. (that can be more often if my three monthly blood tests are showing my 'condition' is hasn't improved since the last blood test)

I currently pay $60 per doctors visit, but that'll be dropping to $8 from July.

I don't mind paying to have an annual review. However, they can review all they like - I will need warfarin every day unless someone invents something better. It seems like a waste of time and money to review that more than annually.

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#1961202 20-Feb-2018 18:59

Saw the headline "PM and Deputy overpaid by 21K"

First thought was, err I think they are both overpaid by 10x that amount :)

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#1961584 21-Feb-2018 14:45

Must be a day ending in Y, Labour have setup another 1000 committees to endlessly discuss reviewing something or other. Education this time.

At least they will *look* busy.

Feels like too much for them to take on. I think they would be better to attack 1-2 things and do them really well.

Rikkitic

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#1961588 21-Feb-2018 14:48

Must be fun thinking up clever digs like that. Shame that fewer and fewer people are listening.

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#1961592 21-Feb-2018 14:56

Rikkitic:

Must be fun thinking up clever digs like that. Shame that fewer and fewer people are listening.

I have a question;

Do you think JA and Labour have done everything right? Do you have anything you feel they are doing wrong/poorly?

Despite the fact my overwhelming opinion being that the first 5 months have been abject failures, I have made a number of positive comments and praised specific things.

It's hard not to build the opinion you'd forgive them anything, just because they aren't National.

You accuse me of a closed mind, of which you are completely wrong, but to me, that feels like the pot calling the kettle black.

Rikkitic

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#1961617 21-Feb-2018 15:17

I haven't formed a conclusion yet about what Labour might be doing right or wrong. There have been a few things in the news that I have doubts about, but two paragraphs on a news site is not enough to form a sound judgement and I haven't had the inclination to research these things myself. I am still waiting to see how things shake out in the longer term, which I think any fair-minded person would do.

A lot (probably not all) of your criticisms of Labour seem to be more anticipatory than actual. They do something you don't like and you start crying that there will be horrible consequences, but the consequences haven't actually happened yet. I am waiting until they do. So far I am not aware of any major disaster that has occurred as a result of any government actions. No doubt there will be some. There usually are. But as far as I know they haven't happened yet. When they do I will form my conclusion. I don't think that is having a closed mind.

As I have previously pointed out, there are things the National government has also done in the past that I have agreed with and approved of. I do not think everything Labour does is good by definition, or everything National does is bad. I do feel that progressive governments generally have better policies than conservative ones, and I feel more affinity with those, but that does not mean I agree with everything they do. It just means I have fewer issues with them. But progressives are certainly perfectly capable of coming up with utterly silly ideas based on ideology. I don't have much patience with that kind of nonsense regardless of where it comes from.

All I'm pointing out is that statements like Labour setting up another 1,000 committees because a day ends in Y don't add much to the discussion.

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#1961618 21-Feb-2018 15:20

Rikkitic:

Must be fun thinking up clever digs like that. Shame that fewer and fewer people are listening.

These dozens of reviews etc will be costing millions. People dont sit on a committee free for the good of the country. I suspect there is so many reviews going on because labour has no clue what to do and they are seeking help to do their jobs.

I also think your dig is not respectful and uncalled for.

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#1961638 21-Feb-2018 15:48

It's fair to say that the "set up a committee/enquiry" option is one commonly used by politicians who want to ensure that the blame for whatever happens after the enquiry/committee falls squarely on the heads of said committee/enquiry rather than said politicians if it goes wrong, but all the glory attaches to the politicians if it goes right.

I suspect that Labour have spent many years chucking out glib promises as if the incumbents at the time were somehow dimwits who could not see the obvious and now that they actually have the keys to the Treasury, they are finding that reality is rather different from opposition.

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