Budget 2023: National vows to bring back $5 prescription fees if elected
The National Party says it will repeal the Labour’s removal of a $5 charge on medicine prescriptions if elected.
The scrapping of the $5 cost of prescriptions was one of the major spending initiatives in the Government’s 2023 Budget, published on Thursday, expected to cost $706m for the coming four years.
What on earth is National doing?
Once again we get the Luxon Shuffle, where he u-turns and backtracks some brainfart he has had within 24 hours.
Removing the $5 prescription fee is universal Left and National hate it for purely ideological reasons.
The argument is ‘why should rich people get this, we should just make it available for those who have community cards’.
The first thing is that creating bureaucracy to not target rich people makes it more expensive than just giving it to rich people and the claim we could just give it to those on community services cards totally misunderstands that the incredibly tiny number of people we allow those cards to would miss an enormous chunk of working class NZ and the ever squeezed middle class!
Only gibbering morons who have no idea of how the State has successfully limited those community services cards would offer that up as a counter solution to universal left policies.
Limiting free prescriptions to only those on Community Services Cards would rule out so many people in genuine need there’s no point doing it!
National have confused ideology for good social policy and it is still not clear if they would cut it if elected.
We certainly know ACT would and with National so reliant on ACT, that means it’s gone if we get a National/ACT Government.
It shows how shallow the philosophical pool National fish from truly is.
This is puddle policy, not social policy.
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If a couple hundred thousand people lose their jobs in the next year a five dollar fee will be the last thing on their minds. This is ridiculous, meaningless bickering from comfortable politicians who have already sold New Zealand out.
And who is it that doing this “ridiculous bickering”?.. Quibbling might be a better word for you to try next time, which is what mr nothing (Lux)is doing once again.. Just like on any policy, real or imagined one might recall…
If taxation, crime and public safety or whatever big issue is what carries Aloha Luxon to election night then we will have to see how Chippie responds to that post election.
I don’t think tax payer funded free prescriptions are a good thing. At present many pharmacies also offer free prescriptions and if you are a high user then you also get free prescriptions.
Too much medication being issued as is, and too many antibiotics and other drugs being prescribed willy nilly because people would prefer to take a pill than change other aspects like diet and exercise (two very important but not monetised factors for health).
Countries like Cuba are poor but not only have a surplus of doctors and nurses they also have decent health and part of that is not over prescribing drugs.
There are much better things to be spending money on in NZ, than more prescribed drugs.
Well the mask comes off. You support US style healthcare. Cuba has free meds as well you realize? They dont let people die because they cannot afford their meds. And it’s per item, and it adds up.
What utter bollocks. The Chemist warehouse do but the coverage is limited to areas where people can afford it anyway. Also where is the evidence antibiotics are over prescribed in NZ?
It’s delightful to hear, #saveNZ, you are on a sensible diet and exercise well so that you can prevent the use of medication. If only all New Zealanders were like you, hey?
Pray, share your lifestyle with us all so we can follow in your footsteps.
Jokes aside: I’ve come to realise that getting ill and needing medication can often have no link whatsoever with diets and exercise. It is highly offensive to play the blame game in this area of life.
And willy-nilly… When? Where? Any statistics?
Dumb move. When Joe Hockey tried to increase prescription charges, the backlash was so extreme it killed his entire proposed budget (and probably fatally wounded Tony Abbott).
As a prospective National voter imust admit I was dismayed at how this was handled .Luxon was right to suggest not all should get help but it delivery was poor and not fully explained. MUST DO BETTER
Actually I think it was the delightful tones of Nicola Willis that stuffed this up. I think Luxon was walking back her comments just for the sake of variety
Good point about the cost of administering rules around ‘you need to pay $5 but you don’t’. There’s a lot of benefit to communities to have ‘universal’ free access to essential stuff – it removes the stigma of being on a benefit – the people who can afford but will get a free service can’t moan about ‘bludgers’ etc. The changes to welfare law in the 90’s introduced complex labyrinths of rules to supposedly ensure that only those who really needed (deserved) benefits would get them. No Labour govt ever repealed those rules and they’re so complicated that they seem to be baffling to many of the WINZ case managers who administer them. I am of the view that as a result, we have created a growing number of marginalised and alienated people who probably find more dignity in begging than interacting with WINZ.
I haven’t heard any speech from Luxon but I believe this should be targeted. Welfare Community and Gold Cards should wave the fee for example. Do National want to at least target it?
Luxon’s new deal was the $5 would not be paid by gold card holders and those with a community card. This is what he should have said in the first place . I agree the new policy will help local pharmacis combat the Chemist Warehouse. These small business owner are the type who would vote National and need to be kept viable especial now they are able to do so much more in advice saving the doctors time for the more urgent cases
My take on it was that before Luxor had to roll things back, Nicola had a dose of the rhubarb verbal runs, shitting out every cliched talking point she’d rehearsed before she knew what she’d done.
Not TOO disimilar from other politicians fluent in the art of POLS and COMMS bullshit and spin, and probably the same affliction JA was suffering from when she announced a capital gains tax was off the table as long as she ruled the wharepaku
Willis is a nobody. She is the sound that is made when your record player is stuck on a scratch.
That’s not what she (Nicola) thinks. Or a growing number of Her flock.
Just make David Seymour leader of the National / ACT party. He is far and away by a big distance the best politician in either party.
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