|
| |
Pages :
1
2
3
4
5
Health : Security & Peace of Mind
Overview
Five Key Principles
Healthcare services that are more accessible and more convenient.
Healthcare services that are there when you need them.
Doctors and hospitals that are totally involved in providing care, not
administration.
The maximum amount of healthcare services per dollar spent.
Healthcare services that provide real quality to consumers.
A Common sense health approach
- Healthcare is personal and it affects the quality of life.
- New Zealand has quality doctors and nurses. There is no reason why our
healthcare can't be great.
- New Zealanders want common sense, not Wellington to decide how they
interact with doctors and hospitals.
- Patients should be protected from Wellington intrusions.
- Patients have the right to know.
- New Zealanders should be safe and secure in the knowledge that if they
have insurance they will be covered when they are sick. Government should
enforce such a principle.
- All healthcare insurance plans should have basic definitions and
standards, so that there are no hidden loopholes that appear after a patient
needs treatment.
- All patients should be able to see the right doctor at the right time to
treat their problems.
- We must ensure New Zealanders receive quality healthcare, but do it
without raising costs to the point that many people do not get treatment when
they need it.
Policy details
- A tax credit will be provided to every family (single person no children =
a family). This tax credit along with an employer subsidy for each employee
(not family employee only) will be at least equivalent to what the government
spends today.
- Size of tax credit will be based on age, income, size of family and risk
group individual falls into.
- Individuals receiving tax credit will be able to spend them with any
approved healthcare supplier.
- Government will approve healthcare suppliers (generally an insurance
company) based on the contract they will enter into with customers, and their
financial position.
- Tax credits and employer contributions will at a minimum be inflation
proofed.
- Ministry of Health will continue to carry out many of today's functions.
All healthcare suppliers will be assessed each year.
- Healthcare organisations will buy the services they require in the open
marketplace.
- Healthcare policy cover will be for catastrophic events only.
- Tax credits not spent on the purchase of health cover to be available for
day to day expenditure.
- Tax credit balances at the end of the year can be carried forward; if not
spent after 2 years paid out in cash to individual.
Single person position
- Tax credit for retirement each year $4,000.
- Employer contribution for Healthcare.
- Employer contribution for Risk Insurance (Accident, Sickness,
Unemployment)
- Tax reductions
- Low-income earners would also receive a tax credit for Accident, Sickness,
Unemployment Insurance Cover.
Families as above plus
- Low income/large family will receive a tax credit for healthcare (non
working spouse and children)
- Tax credit for education (pre-school, primary and secondary).
Retired
- Current super scheme locked in.
- Healthcare tax credit whereby the retired can buy their own healthcare
cover if they so wish, if not they will be covered by the government. The
choice would be for each retired person to make.
How do you pay for $4,000 Government contribution?
| Budget Changes
- Year 1 |
| Tax reductions
for superannuation contributions 2žm New Zealanders x $4,000 |
$9,600 |
| Drop in
investment income |
$700 |
| Low-income
insurance assistance |
$800 |
| |
$11,100 |
| Paid for by:
|
| Tertiary
education - super claw back and reduction in costs |
$1,500 |
| Welfare claw back |
$3,000 |
| Reduction in
interest costs |
$2,300 |
| Reduction in
general government expenditure (including allowance for future) |
$1,000 |
| Reduction in
budget surplus |
$3,000 |
| Additional
indirect and direct tax |
$500 |
| |
$11,300 |
|
