National to cut right to GP subsidy

National intends to increase income thresholds for low- and middle-income adults to receive subsidised doctor visits by about $10,000 under a re-named community services card.

The subsidy would also rise to $30, from $15.

Subsidies for school-aged children and those adults who are subsidised in Primary Health Organisations - apart from the community services card - are currently about $23 to $26.

National would also increase the subsidy to $30 for many of those people, although others would lose the grant altogether.

Some of the current thresholds to obtain a card are $20,275 for a single person living alone and $45,498 for a four-person family. Under National these would rise to $30,000 and $55,000 respectively.

The Labour-led Government is phasing out the community services card, although it can still be used to obtain cheaper primary healthcare visits and prescription charges by eligible people who cannot yet access the higher doctor-visit subsidies.

The Government intends to subsidise everyone who is a member of a Primary Health Organisation by July 2007, including many adults aged 25 to 64 who are not yet subsidised.

People in that age group are subsidised now only if they live in an area of low incomes and high Maori and Pacific population covered by an Access PHO.

National will not carry out Labour's extensions and will remove subsidies from adults aged 25 to 64 unless they have a health card.

National Party health spokesman Dr Hutchison described as "madness" Labour's policy of allowing wealthy middle-aged adults in Access PHOs to receive a $27 subsidy, while someone on a community services card but not in one of these higher-subsidy PHOs received a $15 grant.

He said 80 per cent of people entitled to a community services card in 2002 had one.

National would make its health card easier to obtain and undertake a publicity campaign around it, Dr Hutchison said.

Health Care Aotearoa, an umbrella group for providers of primary healthcare to low-income, Maori and Pacific people, said only 60 per cent of those eligible for individually-targeted health funding received the benefits.

"If you earn one dollar over the threshold you are severely disadvantaged, creating a poverty-trap effect," said national co-ordinator Petra van den Munckhof.

Health Minister Annette King said it was shameful that people aged 25 to 64 who earned $30,000 a year or more would have to pay the same amount to see a doctor as Dr Hutchison, who earned more than $100,000 a year.

Medical Association GP council chairman Dr Peter Foley said National's policy was a better way of targeting limited resources.

GP subsidy

* $23 to $26 under Labour for adults and school-aged children.
* Labour will eventually subsidise everyone, including those adults aged 25 to 64 currently not subsidised.
* National will not make that extension to the scheme and it will remove subsidies from those adults aged 25 to 64 who are eligible for them now.
* To receive National's subsidies, those aged 25 to 64 will have to obtain the income-related health card, which will replace the community services card.