January 6, 2014
MEDIA RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE USE
Expectation public hospital waiting lists will just get longer
More than half of New Zealand adults believe public hospital waiting lists will only get longer in the future, according
to research by the Health Funds Association (HFANZ) and the Private Surgical Hospitals Association (NZPSHA).
Research conducted by TNS in September found 57 percent of those surveyed believed waiting lists would be longer in 10
years, compared with only 8 percent who believed they would be shorter. Twenty-two percent thought they would be the
same length, and 13 percent were not sure.
Numbers were similar among those who had health insurance and those who did not.
Most of those without health insurance – the majority of those surveyed – said they would struggle to pay for a $6000
private surgical procedure out of their own pocket. Over 40 percent said they could afford a $3000 procedure, but most
could not afford anything costing more than $20,000.
The most recent HFANZ figures on the cost of surgeries shows heart operations can cost up to $57,000, with hip and knee
replacements costing up to $24,000 and $28,000 respectively.
The survey said about one in five New Zealanders aged over 18 believed they would need surgery in the next five to 10
years, with age playing a major role in that belief. Those aged over 50 were the most likely to expect to need some sort
of procedure.
HFANZ chief executive Roger Styles said both private and public elective surgery had increased over recent years, but
clearly more would be needed with our rapidly ageing population.
“Indications are future public health spending is unsustainable under present policy settings. There are options to
address this, but the longer the problems are ignored, the less effective and less palatable the solutions become,” he
said.
“Treasury has suggested rationing of services and increasing co-payments among other ideas to manage the issue, but in
the past New Zealanders have been widely opposed to those kinds of measures.
“Patient part charges were introduced to hospitals in the 1990s by the then government and proved deeply unpopular with
people. They were difficult to enforce and collect, and were subsequently dropped. They also were widely claimed to be a
big part of increasing health inequalities in New Zealand,” Mr Styles said.
Both HFANZ and NZPSHA are calling this year for greater public/private dialogue around planning for future health
funding in New Zealand, saying that a more collaborative approach is required to lift health outcomes.
The TNS survey involved 1830 people and had a margin of error of 2.3 percent.
ENDS
For your information, the full report can be downloaded here: http://www.healthfunds.org.nz/pdf/Assessing%20the%20demand%20for%20Elective%20Surgery%20for%20release.pdf