Dear NZ – Rich people with cancer matter more than you do
The privatisation of NZ public health system continues at such speed, its ended up prioritising Rich people with Cancer over actual public health!
Taxpayer to foot the bill for cancer drugs for private patients
The government’s decision to let private patients have publicly-funded cancer drugs is a waste of taxpayers’ money, and could even make wait times worse, the Labour Party is warning.
From 1 July, taxpayers will begin covering the cost of newly-funded cancer medicines administered in private facilities for 12 months, under the so-called “transitional access” arrangement.
In a testy exchange with the Associate Health Minister David Seymour at Wednesday’s health select committee, Labour Party spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall pointed out the vast majority of New Zealanders did not have private health insurance.
“Wouldn’t this money have been better spent on hiring oncologists in the public system so that people can get free care there?”
Under the current framework, insurers already picked up the tab for any new medicines that Pharmac funded, so the change did not actually benefit patients in most cases, she said.
“So this money that you are spending on this is achieving almost nothing in terms of access, it’s just a subsidy for insurers.”
However, Seymour disagreed, saying one should not underestimate the “inconvenience” of having to shift facilities mid-treatment, and people “should not be disadvantaged by the fact that they have taken precaution of having private insurance”.
“When you’re getting treated for cancer, you just don’t want any more problems in your life or inconveniences in your life, you just want to get through it.”
…hey stupid Kiwi, Rich people with cancer deserve better access to public funding than you do bottom feeder!
This is what made me laugh the most…
Pharmac chair Paula Bennett said the drug-funding agency had been contacted by patients who were in private care and had insurance before Pharmac started funding more cancer medicines.
“One man was eligible for four treatments but actually needed 12 and he was going to have to move into the public system to receive the other eight.
“The thought of having to change oncologist just to get access to the extra eight treatments that he desperately needed was incredibly stressful.”
…oh the humanity!
THIS is what stresses Paula out? Those with private insurance forced to gain 8 free sessions with the smelly poor people?
What about all the state tenants Paula needlessly threw out onto the street during her meth contamination scandal?
That didn’t stress her out?
It’s amazing at how selective her empathy is.
In NZ, the rich have forgotten to be afraid of the poor.
Let’s remind them!
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I do not have insurance or can afford private care so my care is public health .
A blood test showed I was anemic .My doctor requested a colonoscopy which I got 10 days later .The result showed I had bowel cancer which was operated on 2 weeks later .The op was successful now I am being assessed for chemo.
I cannot speak for other areas of NZ but Christchurch certainly was on the ball .
yes trev I have found the labour government impemented health system to work really well but cant see that in 2 years time after tiny Simeon has fucked it over and privatized it .
Gordon I agree.
My op was on April 13th this year so under the current government but to be fair my all to frequent medical care has been under both Labour and National and the attention has been first class at all times.
Because the people who actually do all the work, try to make it better for you, Trevor.
They are true professionals and do their level best to help people, despite all the limitations now being placed on them.
They have their professional pride, they have empathy and their expertise is put to good use.
On the other hand, we have rank amateurs in govt. with no empathy, no expertise and they don’t care. Their leader has said so.
Trevor, first things first, I am glad to hear your operation was a success and wish all the best with the rest of your treatment.
Clearly I don’t agree with what this government is doing which is privatisation without campaigning on it. Simeon Brown is repugnant and there will be a load of people who can’t afford health insurance premiums in an aging population. It won’t happen tomorrow obviously but these guys are sabotaging public healthcare to get there a whole lot quicker
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Bz4ku7pjK/
A response to the rnz article.
Lol, so you’re telling us that Southern Cross et al. won’t pay for cancer medication? Sounds like a Southern Cross problem
They are happy to take the premiums though .So Tiny brain Brown should be giving them a serve for not giving the customer what they are paying for .
As a blood donor I know the blood from voluntary donations goes to both public and private hospitals. I do not begrudge because I am a socialist who believes in the whole of society but I do believe it is another example of:
‘ Socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor’ ( Gore Vidal.)
You and other doners are national heros ,thank you so much for your generosity .
I recently supported someone at their keytruda transfusion session in a public hospital. Couldnt be happier with the good care and service. The cost is $7000 every three weeks $120,000 per year. The patient has been ‘granted’ 2 years treatment. There is no assurance the treatment which is working successfully will continue after two years. The patient will be triaged again at the two year mark – the grant could be moved to someone younger.
Undoubtedly Merck will have spent a lot of money developing this very effective cancer drug and thus the high price to cover the research cost. But at $7000 a shot that cost will have been covered exceedingly quickly, probably within months of it going on sale. Merck’s 2024 keytruda revenue was USD $30Billion.
Rather than subsidise private oncologists, private hospitals and private insurers the government ought to have its own strategic NZ Pharma industry and employ a local lab to back engineer the treatment and provide it to all the kiwis who need it at low cost.
Change the patent law so in ‘certain circumstances’ like the R&D cost of a life saving drug has been paid back then the patent period can be shortened or the patent completely disregarded.
Joseph – good idea. The legal controls on helpful innovations such as drugs should be looked at. It’s getting longer and longer that corpse can hold onto streams of benefit. And these things are not found, invented by the corpse, it’s someone working for the company finds it but may not get a share of the long-term monetary benefit derived from it.
And copyright on books, continues 70 years after author’s death. Seems excessive.
I recently supported someone at their keytruda transfusion session in a public hospital. Couldnt be happier with the good care and service. The cost is $7000 every three weeks $120,000 per year. The patient has been ‘granted’ 2 years treatment. There is no assurance the treatment which is working successfully will continue after two years. The patient will be triaged again at the two year mark – the grant could be moved to someone younger.
Undoubtedly Merck will have spent a lot of money developing this very effective cancer drug and thus the high price to cover the research cost. But at $7000 a shot that cost will have been covered exceedingly quickly, probably within months of it going on sale. Merck’s 2024 keytruda revenue was USD $30Billion.
Rather than subsidise private oncologists, private hospitals and private insurers the government ought to have its own strategic NZ Pharma industry and employ a local lab to back engineer the treatment and provide it to all the kiwis who need it at low cost.
Change the patent law so in ‘certain circumstances’ like the R&D cost of a life saving drug has been paid back then the patent period can be shortened or the patent completely disregarded.
‘let poor scum die!’
Well for fuck’s sake hurry up!
Most of us are tired of waiting for you to fuck up and die.
Finally, someone dares to say in public what I have long suspected. Wealty cancer patients are being prioritised in the public health system ahead of everyone else.
gO TO newsroom and read up on Seymours latest disgusting speech in London ,where he calls smokers fiscal Heroes because of the sales tax the government collects and a lot die early so the government does not have to pay them super because they die early .
Then he allowed the smoking minister to cancel stop smoking laws and allowed her to give $216 million back to the tobacco companies .