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Elderly to Pay Extra Drug Costs
By Kathy Webb, The Dominion Post
September
13, 2008
New
Zealand
The elderly of Hawke's Bay could be stung with extra prescription charges as a result of a crackdown on illegal surcharges, a pharmacist warns.
Nick Wallace, owner of Gilmours Pharmacy in Havelock North, said he was charging an extra 50 cents a prescription item - above the $3 allowed in the contract between pharmacies and the Hawke's Bay District Health Board.
Mr Wallace said he would continue till the health board told him to stop. The board is in the process of identifying pharmacies in breach and warning them to stop, and is working toward legal action against one that has refused to back down.
Mr Wallace said once told to stop he, and other pharmacies, would implement a user-pays regime to cover the extra services provided to some customers.
That could mean some of the elderly would pay more for their medication than a standard 50 cent surcharge on each item for everyone.
Pharmacists provide additional services such as liaising with GPs about prescription changes, delivering prescriptions and blister packaging to help people remember their medicines.
The district health board clamped down on surcharges after a complaint by Grey Power two months ago. Hastings committee member Ted Duffill said pensioners were routinely being charged $4 an item instead of $3.
For some collecting 10 or 12 items a month, that meant being forced to hand over $10 or $12 that should be going on food or power.
Health board contract administrator Wendy Wasson said pharmacies were entitled to charge for additional services not covered by their contracts with the board.
"In these instances pharmacists should identify any extra charges and discuss them with their customers who can then decide whether they wish to have and pay for the extra services."
Pharmacy Guild spokeswoman Katie Fala said the issue could be solved by a contractual increase to the $3 dispensing fee, which had not changed since 2003.
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