Page 1 of 7 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 62

Thread: Information about how much it costs to visit a doctor (GP) in NZ

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Coromandel peninsula - ex UK
    Posts
    1,540

    Default Information about how much it costs to visit a doctor (GP) in NZ

    I have been trying to find out some information about healthcare costs today, and while doing so I realised how hard it is to find this information if you're not familiar with the terminology used in the health service here. So I thought it would be useful to pull together some info about the cost of GP visits for those of you who are about to come to NZ or have recently arrived. (Or those, like me, who have been here for a while but haven't really got to grips with how the healthcare system works. )

    First of all, the fees charged for visiting a GP are not standard because general practices are privately owned, and set their own fees, so when choosing a GP it is worth shopping around if you can, as some practices will be cheaper than others.

    It is also worth checking whether or not a practice belongs to your District Health Board’s Primary Healthcare Organisation (PHO). GPs who belong to a PHO get funding from the government to subsidise the cost of GP visits and prescriptions, and if you enrol with the PHO then you will pay less for GP visits and prescriptions. At the medical centre I belong to the fees for a standard GP consultation are as follows:

    Enrolled patients:
    • Children aged 0 – 5: free
    • Children aged 6 – 17: $10
    • 18 – 24 years: $30
    • 25+: $35
    • Prescription medicines: $3


    Non-enrolled patients:
    • NZ residents: $60
    • Non-residents: $80
    • Prescription medicines: $15


    So you can see that there is a big difference in the charges for people who are enrolled in the PHO and people that aren’t. Information about eligibility can be found here, and how to enrol can be found here.

    Most of the District Health Boards publish a list of the fees charged for GP visits by each practice that belongs to its PHOs, and I’ve listed the links to the fees below. I hadn't realised quite how long this list was going to be when I started doing this! If you find any mistakes, please let me know, and I'll correct the info.

    (If you are not sure which District Health Board covers the area you live in, or are planning to live in, then check out the maps here.)

    Auckland DHB

    Bay of Plenty DHB

    Canterbury DHB


    Capital & Coast DHB (Wellington)

    Counties Manukau DHB



    Hawke's Bay DHB

    • Hawkes Bay PHO (click on “our practices” then the region, then the individual health centre to find the fees)
    • Wairoa PHO (fees listed under each practice in menu on right hand side)


    Hutt Valley DHB



    Lakes DHB (Rotorua) (list of GPs, but no list of fees).

    MidCentral DHB



    Nelson Marlborough DHB



    Northland DHB



    Otago DHB



    South Canterbury DHB
    (click on your area under “find a practice”, then click on the practice name for fee info.)

    Southland DHB

    • Wakatipu PHO (covering Queenstown and Frankton).
    • Invercargill PHO (covering Invercargill City and Bluff).
    • Takitimu PHO (covering Western Southland including Winton, Riverton, Tuatapere, Te Anau and Otautau).
    • Hokonui PHO (covering Eastern Southland including Gore, Mataura and Lumsden).


    Tairawhiti DHB (Gisborne)



    Taranaki DHB


    Waikato DHB

    Wairarapa DHB

    Waitemata DHB

    West Coast DHB (no info on fees)

    Whanganui DHB

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Posts
    37,824

    Default

    Thanks for pulling this together.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Christchurch from Scotland
    Posts
    2,226

    Default

    Thank you. This is very helpful.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Poole, UK to Chch, NZ
    Posts
    2,064

    Default

    Wonderful - thank you!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Coromandel peninsula - ex UK
    Posts
    1,540

    Default

    If you are not sure which District Health Board covers the area you live in, or are planning to live in, then check out the maps here.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Kuwait
    Posts
    268

    Default

    Good to know!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    UK - North Shore, Akld - UK
    Posts
    455

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Jo Jo View Post
    At the medical centre I belong to the fees for a standard GP consultation are as follows:

    Enrolled patients:
    • Children aged 0 – 5: free
    • Children aged 6 – 17: $10
    • 18 – 24 years: $30
    • 25+: $35
    • Prescription medicines: $3

    Just to show you how much fees can vary, my medical centre in Devonport is also registered with the PHO and charges as follows:

    Enrolled patients:
    • Children aged 0 – 5: $18
    • Children aged 6 – 17: $43
    • 18 – 24 years: $44
    • 25+: $47

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    in my own little world...
    Posts
    532

    Default

    Great post JoJo.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jo Jo View Post
    It is also worth checking whether or not a practice belongs to your District Health Board’s Primary Healthcare Organisation (PHO). GPs who belong to a PHO get funding from the government to subsidise the cost of GP visits and prescriptions, and if you enrol with the PHO then you will pay less for GP visits and prescriptions.

    I just thought I'd highlight that there may be a 'lag time' before you are eligible for the subsidised GP fees - I registered with a GP 3 weeks ago & was advised that I won't be eligible for the subsidised fees until April so it may be worth registering with a GP sooner rather than later!
    Last edited by lin; 28th January 2010 at 10:51 PM. Reason: formatting issue

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Coromandel peninsula - ex UK
    Posts
    1,540

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by lin View Post
    I just thought I'd highlight that there may be a 'lag time' before you are eligible for the subsidised GP fees - I registered with a GP 3 weeks ago & was advised that I won't be eligible for the subsidised fees until April so it may be worth registering with a GP sooner rather than later!
    Good point. Enrolment intakes are done quarterly, and when you enrol, the GPs don't get the funding for you until the beginning of the next quarter. Some medical centres will charge the full rate until the funding comes through, but others (like mine, which I now realise is really quite good value!) will charge you the subsidised rate or the subsidised rate plus a slight surcharge as soon as you enrol.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    NZ - Hibiscus Coast
    Posts
    635

    Default

    Didn't get the chance to mention it earlier today as I had to rush off, but I think this is an excellent and very helpful post Jo Jo , thanx !

    Cheers,
    Silver

Page 1 of 7 123 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •