Primary Health CarePharmaceutical Co-Payments
From 1 September 2008, everyone who is eligible for publicly funded health and disability services should in most circumstances pay only $3 for subsidised medicines.
All prescriptions from a public hospital, a midwife and a Family Planning Clinic are covered for $3 co-payments.
Prescriptions from the following providers are approved for $3 co-payments on subsidised medicines if they meet the specified criteria:
- After Hours Accident and Medical Services with a DHB or a PHO contract.
- Youth Health Clinics with a DHB or a PHO contract.
- Dentists who write a prescription that relates to a service being provided under a DHB contract.
- Private specialists (for example, opthalmologists and orthopaedics) who write a prescription for a patient receiving a publicly funded service contracted by the DHB.
- General practitioners who write a prescription during normal business hours to a person who is not enrolled in the general practice provided the person is eligible for publicly funded health and disability services and the general practice is part of a PHO.
- Hospices that have a contract with a DHB.
Patients can check whether they are eligible for publicly funded health and disability services by referring to the Eligibility Direction on the Ministry of Health’s website.
To check if a medicine is fully subsidised, refer to the Pharmaceutical Schedule on PHARMAC’s website or ask your pharmacist or general practitioner.
DHBs have a list of eligible providers in their respective regions. Any provider/prescriber not specifically listed by a DHB as an approved provider/prescriber should be regarded as not approved.
Page last updated: 10 March 2009 |
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