KEY POINTS:
A health group says the Ministry of Health may be deliberately delaying the production of a report about controversial laboratory test funding proposals.
The Health Funds Association says South Island district health boards are about to decide their policy on funding without being allowed to see an evaluation of trials in Wellington last year.
Executive director Roger Styles said yesterday that the evaluation of the Wellington lab test charges was expected in February.
However, the Ministry of Health now said the report might not be ready until next month at the earliest.
"I think there is a good chance the report is being deliberately held over because it shows the imposition of the patient charges for lab tests in Wellington has been a shambles," Mr Styles said. He said there was no excuse for the delay in the Wellington evaluation.
"The charges have been imposed since November 2006, giving more than 12 months of data and several months to compile a report."
Mr Styles said association evidence showed patients were being deterred from accessing treatment because of the new charges.
Some cardiac patients were paying more than $1600 for lab tests, and high charges were also a common feature for tests for breast cancer and fertility treatments.
He added Otago, Southland, West Coast, Canterbury and South Canterbury DHBs were considering withdrawing their funding of lab tests referred by specialists working privately.
The boards estimated a collective saving of $3 million a year to their budgets, but the association said in its submission on the plan that for every dollar saved by the boards, $2 to $3 would be imposed directly on patients.
Last year, it blamed the lab test charges for causing a spike in health inflation in Wellington of three times the national average.
The five South Island DHBs are expected to consider the plan at meetings over the next month.
- NZPA
