GP Fees ‘Still a Barrier’

By MORRALL, Amanda

GP fees remain a barrier for Canterbury’s elderly, says Age Concern, despite a national report claiming cheaper fees are leading to more visits.

The Health Ministry yesterday suggested Government subsidies for patients 65 and older were behind a 24 per cent increase in doctor visits.

But Andrew Dickerson, chief executive of Age Concern Canterbury, said seniors in the province were still finding fees prohibitive in some cases.

Of 50 randomly selected general practices in Canterbury, Dickerson said he could not find one where older patients were paying less than 45 to 65-year-olds.

“Older people still seem to be paying — in many cases — more to access GPs than other age groups. My greatest concern is about the most frail and the elderly. I still believe cost is a barrier to accessing primary health care,” said Dickerson.

According to the ministry, GP costs for an elderly couple are $400 a year cheaper now compared to 2001, with the average couple paying $360 annually in doctors’ fees.

But Dickerson said the rates still varied widely, forcing many seniors to shop around for the best price — something that could ultimately be bad for their health.

“It concerns me that older people are changing GPs on the basis of cost. Changing your GP is not like changing your hairdresser. Often an older person has multiple health concerns and the GP will have a good knowledge of their medical history.”

However, Dickerson said he was encouraged by the fact that seniors were going to the doctor more often.

“That can only be good in terms of prevention and detection and keeping older people in their own homes longer,” he said.

Health Minister Pete Hodgson, in a written statement, said: “We know that if we can get more people to see a health professional more often, they are likely to have better health as a result.”

According to a Victoria University study tracking fee trends and user rates since the Government’s 2001 health reforms, utilisation rates overall have increased.

Across all age groups, consultation rates (for doctors and nurses) have gone up between 11 and 22%.

At the same time, fees have come down between 13 and 30%, depending on the age group.

Jacqueline Cumming, director of Victoria University’s health services research centre, said the findings suggested the Government was “generally achieving its aims in primary health care”.

“The new money hasn’t quite gone into reducing fees quite as much as we would’ve thought but it’s certainly been helpful in terms of reducing costs that patients face when they’re using services,” said Cumming, who led the study.

* All GP fees can be seen on the www. cdhb.govt.nz website.

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