Hi
@AgilityDog .....I don't understand a lot about other countries' healthcare systems either. I don't think NZ is similar to Australia, or like the US, but I think it morphed from the UK NHS (which I know much more about, as I've only been here 12 years). Over here we 'pay as you go' for the GP (primary doctor in your neck of the woods?)....if he wants you to see a specialist he will refer you on the 'public' system (free, but you have to wait a while) or, if like many people, you have private insurance, you usually get appointments much quicker. The third option is just to pay everything yourself, but of course that is pretty expensive.....my 10min consult with my surgeon is $200, Xrays $150 so quite pleased to be able to whizz those off to the insurance company (I believe the THR is approx $30k NZ). This is for elective and non-urgent stuff.....if you had a sudden massive illness that required you to be hospitalised it would be on the public system. To complicate it further, there is an organisation called Accident Compensation Corporation that is funded by compulsory contributions from our wages.....if you have an accident, from spraining your ankle to a traumatic car crash, ACC will pay for (sometimes with a co-pay) treatment, and if you are off work, they will pay a percentage of your wage. This makes it a bit like an accident insurance, and covers visitors too.....I believe it was set up to stop people suing for accidents with the accompanying massive legal costs (if you have an accident you can't sue the person responsible for it.....I think the downside of that is that some companies then neglect their safety responsibilities cos they can't be sued). Like most insurance companies, it can be a big battle to persuade ACC to pay up, and it seems unfair that you can have 2 people with the same injury.....one has clearly had an accident and is covered, sometimes quite generously, by ACC, and the other is not an accident but maybe due to genetics/disease/age etc, and gets minimal help on the public system. There probably isn't something that works for everybody unfortunately.....always a money problem, but I still struggle with the concept that primary care has to be paid for (never paid for the GP in England).......I volunteer at the Citizen's Advice Bureau and deal with a lot of people who just can't afford to go to the doctor in the first place.....makes me very grateful to be able to afford to do so.
Sorry for the long screed....difficult to explain it in 2 sentences! We could do with a 'sticky' explaining the health systems of various countries, would make some of the posts easier to follow. If I've not been accurate in what I've said, hopefully one of our other NZ members will chime in and correct me