NZ increases co-payments
May 15, 2012
NEW Zealand will increase the
co-payment for prescription items
from NZ$3 to NZ$5, a move which
the Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand
said was not unexpected as “the
current funding was unsustainable”.
Currently most New Zealanders
pay $3 per prescription item up to a
max of 20 items per family per year,
after which items are free.
This charge however will increase
to $5 per item from 01 January 2013,
up to the 20 item maximum a year.
Under the new pricing there will
continue to be no charge for
prescription items for children
under six years old.
“For those patients who genuinely
cannot afford the co-payment,
there is help available from Work
and Income NZ, or the Primary
Health Organisations,” said the NZ
Guild’s President, Karen Crisp.
“This means that no patient in
New Zealand needs to go without
their medicines because they
cannot afford them,” Crisp added.
The increase is the first time the
prescription charge has risen in NZ
in almost two decades.
“The real value of the $3
co-payment has significantly
decreased over time,” said the NZ
Guild’s President, Karen Crisp.
“Health comprises half of all
Government spending and we
understand the difficult fiscal
environment we are currently in.
“Community pharmacists can
help patients get the maximum
benefit from their medicines.
“Medicines improve patients’
quality of life and community
pharmacists welcome the
opportunity to talk to their patients
about their medicines,” she added.
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