600,000 more Kiwis to get cheaper GP visits

The Herald reports:

National has announced it will extend $18 doctor visits to an additional 600,000 lower income New Zealanders.

It will also expand access to the Community Services Card to another 350,000 New Zealanders who are on lower incomes and have high housing costs.

The announcement was made at Onslow Medical Centre in Johnsonville, Wellington, with Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman and Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett also in attendance.

About 1.4 million New Zealanders currently have the cost of visiting their GP capped at $18 through the “Very Low Cost Access” scheme.

 

Coleman said this will now be expanded by introducing $18 GP visits for all Community Service Card holders.

“This change means a family of three earning up to $60,000 per year will be able to access $18 GP visits, with children under 13 still able to go for free.

These are the sort of benefits you can get when you have a robust economy and good fiscal management that has got the books back into surplus. With surpluses you can deliver both tax relief and increased public services.

The contrast to this is the party that has never been able to show fiscal discipline in opposition and is already promising lots of new taxes.