National would bring back $5 prescription fees

[Lilith7]

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.

  NOT EVERYONE can access Chemist warehouse :THAT is the point which National do not understand so hardly very 'smart.'

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Chemist Warehouse is sub-standard, they don't give you warning when you need to pick up a repeat and penalize late comers by voiding the script, also often do not have common medication, ie Duolin Inhalers, I went back to my old chemist.

People who earn over a certain amount should be charged full price for medication not get any rebate at all.

100% tax for the rich once they earn over a certain amount, no private ownership of private dwellings after your first primary living house.

Regulate to not allow super-profits, bring back price controls, nationalize the public facilities, electricity, telephones, internet etc

Get the mad-house NZ economy under some sort of sensible control.

No foreign ownership of land or facilities.

"People who earn over a certain amount should be charged full price for medication not get any rebate at all.


100% tax for the rich once they earn over a certain amount, no private ownership of private dwellings after your first primary living house.

Regulate to not allow super-profits, bring back price controls, nationalize the public facilities, electricity, telephones, internet etc

Get the mad-house NZ economy under some sort of sensible control.

No foreign ownership of land or facilities."


Definitely agree with those, with the exception of 100% tax for the wealthy because they'd simply move overseas for as long as it took to avoid that. Foreigners ought to be able to own a percentage of Kiwi property though - perhaps up to 40% but no more.

And I think we need to put the emphasis on health & education even if we need to all pay slightly higher taxes in order to do that because its so crucial to long term well being.