The Government has decided to replace district health boards with one national health body, Health New Zealand, to fund and run the health system.
The change aims to address "postcode lottery care" - in which the standard of care patients get depends on where they live.
This issue also needs addressing in GP practices.
When I was living in Auckland my GP cost $40 per visit for enrolled patients and $90 for those who weren't enrolled. If you had a community services card it dropped to $19 and $80 respectively. If you wanted to see a doctor after hours, the price went up.
Now I live in Rotorua my GP is $18. A neighbouring practice is $39 or $19 with a community services card.
A snapshot of Tauranga GPs shows a range of prices for enrolled members with no community services card. The three I looked at charged $51, $48.50 and $46.50. Some had different prices for different age brackets.
The difference in price nationwide and even within a city is mind-blowing.
And the high cost of after-hours care sometimes results in people going to the emergency department instead of an after-hours doctor, putting more pressure on hospitals.
In my opinion, fees for doctor visits need to be looked at and standardised as part of this health shakeup.
A flat fee for every person nationwide may not be the way to go, however.
I suggest fees directly correlate to an area's socioeconomic status, and implement zones for practices much like those used for schools.
That way, it won't be a race to try and enrol at what is considered "the best" practices in town and people are more likely to be asked to pay an amount they can afford.
I do think paying for GPs is necessary to get the best care possible but it is time to take a hard look at the prices and standardise them.
