Peters Winston: SuperGold Health Check Bill — First ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumePeters Winston: SuperGold Health Check Bill — First Reading[Sitting date: 24 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4749. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First): I move That the SuperGold Health Check Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Health Committee to consider the bill. This as you will realise is a seriously non-controversial measure that should have the support of every sane and reasonable person in this House. We are proposing the SuperGold Health Check Bill as a common-sense cost-saving policy and preventative measure. Giving three free GP visits with the SuperGold card every year makes more than economic sense. It will save lives and precious health dollars. Globally according to Deloitte life expectancy is expected to increase from an estimated 72.6 years in 2012 to 73.7 years by 2017 bringing the number of people over the age of 65 to around 560 million worldwide. That is more than the 10 percent of the total global population and in Western Europe the proportion in 2017 will hit 20 percent. In Japan it will be 27 percent and what it will be here according to Statistics New Zealand is 16 percent but of course that is seriously dependent upon the wisdom or lack of it in terms of immigration policy.Bearing in mind that Deloitte also warned that pressure to reduce healthcare costs remains and is escalating due to Government debt and constraints on tax revenue and ageing populations a policy that makes medical social and financial benefit makes common sense. Today the price for a hospital bed per day in New Zealand is about $1243. That is a lot of money when the average price for a stay in hospital and the cost to the taxpayer is in the vicinity of $10000. This policy will cost about $69 million per annum based on the number of SuperGold card holders we have now. But it will be cost-neutral only if 1 or 2 percent of the SuperGold card holders use the three free visits and are kept out of hospital. Simply put keeping SuperGold card holders out of hospital will help to contain health spending.Grey Power has welcomed the policy applauding it in terms of the cost and suggesting it will be an incentive to get people to the doctor. Grey Power says there are many cases of elderly people putting off going to the doctor or declining to pick up prescriptions because of the cost. Just recently in the Sunday Star-Times it was reported that a huge premium rise is driving older people to drop private health cover just when they need it the most and pushing the burden on to the taxpayer. This is because the excesses are now between $2000 and $4000 per annum and if you bear in mind what these people get annually plus rates and every other cost this is not what they can afford. Bearing this in mind we want people out of hospital. The economics of preventive medicine simply put makes sense. That is what this bill is about.Even the Conservative Cameron Government in the United Kingdom has a National Health Service health check for people turning 65. The National Health Service points out that as we get older we are more likely to develop conditions that are rare in younger people—and this is under a Conservative Party Government in Britain. If it understands the need then why would we not? Economic modelling has estimated a saving for the National Health Services in the UK around £57 million over 4 years rising to £176 million over a 15-year period. I wish to table this at the end of this speech. But the lesson from the UK is that everyone benefits and there is a real benefit for the health budget.The great thing about this of course is that it will kick in in the 2016 Budget not now. For the individual New Zealander who takes up the three free GP visits the benefits will be huge in all respects: social emotional physical and mental well-being. A fair society is not a mean society. It must not be so mean that we ignore measures that will prevent seniors from sitting at home too worried about cost of a GP visit. We want to avoid the consequences that would arise. As we get older we become more susceptible to age-related issues. God knows over there I can see many examples already. A winter cough can easily lead to pneumonia—Hon Member: Don’t say that about Ron Mark.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Well Ron is one of the fittest guys in this House. Hospital beds start to fill in winter as the elderly get hit by winter ills so any sort of preventative care makes economic sense. For families and friends the checks will reduce the pressure for them to act as drivers helpers and carers when older relations and acquaintances have secondary health problems. The dissenting commentary against the SuperGold Health Check Bill is from groups who want—and this is sinister—more public health dollars targeted towards the older and the poorer. Groups advocating means testing for three free GP visits go against the gain of hugely successful SuperGold card in this country. Bear in mind that we are talking about people who have paid some of the highest taxes—66c in the dollar—of any age group in this country’s entire history. The SuperGold card was introduced by New Zealand First in 2007 so that all New Zealanders turning 65 are recognised for a lifetime of contributing to society. Making it universal is simpler than hiring an expensive army of bureaucrats to regulate it—and do not forget; it was all about putting old bottoms on empty seats and removing the increased carbon footprint. Where better to place three free GP visits for over 65s than in the SuperGold card?We recall advocating free medicine or free doctors checks for children under 6 years of age. It was opposed back then but now is so supported by some enlightened members of the National Party that they want to deliver it next year to all primary school children. We have always said that there is much to be proud of when others adopt your ideas. Another sound reason for the Government to support this bill is economics. Finance Minister Bill English is constantly telling us he has to nip and tuck and cut everywhere to save dollars. So right here amidst his health-funding headache is an instant remedy. The Government support should be coming from Peter Dunne because back in 2008 he promised a free annual warrant of fitness check for seniors. New Zealand First is hopeful that National and United Future and the Māori Party for very very good reasons because of affordability will support this legislation. I know that some members here may have been told by caucus what they should do but frankly if they let the bill go to a select committee we would know what the rest of the country thought. As I know the Māori Party has always spoken out about looking after seniors. A simple scheme to keep them out of hospital must seem appealing. The Māori Party is dedicated it says to improving the lives of whānau and these checks will certainly do that.A general practitioner visit is so much easier to organise for the families in this country than the comings and goings required when a relative is in hospital. It is not just the $10000 per hospital visit; it is all the cost of relations in some cases because hospitals are so far away from many of our provincial populations which is in itself an enormous cost. We believe that the Labour Party and the Greens have got the picture and clearly will support this legislation and we are grateful for that. We believe that seniors who have worked and paid taxes for decades and have contributed to building the country to whom we owe respect and dignity should be honoured in this respect and it will not cost us anything. It will save us money. One sure way to make this happen is to provide the health care they need. Looking after our seniors is a lesson we can take from many countries especially those in Asia who elevate their senior citizens to a high status so that everyone is respected and is understanding of their needs.We commend this bill to the House. It makes economic social and medical sense and it is a way of putting a preventative health measure in place and to do it now. Thank you very much. I seek leave to table the NHS Health Check implementation review and action plan July 2013 from Public Health England.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): I think I had better ask the member the question that the Speaker asks as to whether this is a document that has been downloaded from the internet.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I have to confess it was given to me by my staff and I have got no idea how they acquired it but I do think given how far it is away it is very relevant.The ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Hon Trevor Mallard): On that basis I will put the question. Is there any objection to that document being tabled? There is no objection. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.