National would bring back $5 prescription fees

[C_T_Russell]

If elected. Well of course they would.



https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politic...if-elected

National Party finance spokesperson Nicola Willis told Stuff National would return the $5 charge to prescriptions if elected, as it was a “nice to have should not be the priority”.

“I’ve got a lot of sympathy for the fact there are lower-income people for whom I don’t want prescriptions to be a barrier. Well, actually, there are already targetted ways of ensuring they don’t face prescription fees,” she said.

“And you have the Chemist Warehouse offering all prescriptions for free. So, in effect, the Government ends up subsidising that and also  

subsidising a lot of higher-income people who are perfectly happy to pay that charge.”

National similarly did not support a move by the Government to make public transport for children under 13-years-old free, and to half the price for children and young adults between 13 and 24-years-old."

"I’ve got a lot of sympathy for the fact there are lower-income people" 

Just no actual understanding - for example that not everyone will live close to &  be able to use a chemist warehouse which tend to be in the cities.

 I'm not sure exactly why it is, but Nicola Willis reminds me strongly of Ruth Richardson.

 National just doesn't seem to comprehend the difficulties for people, which I suppose is hardly surprising.

National are smart, I dont need the $5 saving, there are people way worse off that need this.
For everyone else we have chemist warehouse anyway.
One upside is it will help the other local pharmacies that have lost competition due to chemist warehouse, so Nationa'ls plan to give it to community services card holders is the right move.
They can direct the rest of the money towards doctors and nurses who actually get poor pay for the work they do.