PAYMENTS TO DOCTORS

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25934, 14 October 1949, Page 8

PAYMENTS TO DOCTORS

PARLIAMENT

SOCIAL SECURITY AMENDMENTS PERMISSION NEEDED FOR REFUND SYSTEM (New Zealand Press Association.) WELLINGTON, October 13. Doctors are to be prohibited from practising under a capitation system and a fee for service system at the same time by a clause in the Social Security Amendment EiH, introduced in the‘House of Representatives today. The bill is divided into three parts. Part 111 gives effect to recommendations of the medical services committee for the removal of abuses from the Social Security medical services scheme. The refund system, which entitled a medical practitioner to recover fees frotn a patient and a patient to obtain refund from the Social Security fund is not to apply unless specially authorised. Fees may be recovered from a patient if the medical practitioner is authorised to do so by the council of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association, after consultation by the council with the Minister of Health. Fees payable from the Social Security Fund for general medical services are fixed at “a reasonable fee not exceeding 7s 6d.” The existing law provides for the payment of a fixed fee of 7s 6d for such services. Power is given in the bill for the payment of higher mileage fees than are at present allowed. The basic mileage fee is at present Is 3d a mile. Specialist Services Regulations may be made to provide for specialist medical services and for a scale of fees for such services, regulations may include provisions for official recognition of medical practitioners in any branch of medicine or surgery and for the determination of disputes whether a particular service is a specialist medical service. Medical practitioners or their personal representatives or assigness are authorised by the bill to recover fees from patients at law for general medical services under the Social Security Act but not until a month after an account signed by the doctor and showing particulars of the services provided has been delivered to the person concerned. A Judge or Magistrate may authorise an action to be taken earlier if there is reasonable cause to believe that the person owing the account is about to leave New Zealand or is about to do any other act that would tend to prevent or delay a doctor from obtaining payment. A patient may within one month after the delivery of the account apply to the divisional disciplinary committee for an examination of the a count and for its opinion as to what are reasonable fees for the services for which the account is rendered. The Court may. on its own motion or on t' e application of any party, also refer an account to a divisional disciplinary committee for its opinion. In any such case the Court shall not complete the hearing of the action until it has the opinion of the committee. The Court shall not give judgment for any amount exceeding that which is considered by the committee to be reasonable. without first affording the committee a reasonable opportunity of appearing by counsel and giving evidence. Commencement of Act Sections in part 111 of the bill are to come into force on a date fixed by the Minister of Health. They shall apply to medical cervices provided by a medical practitioner, after the commencement of legislation, but shall not apply to any provided before that date.

Part I of the bill gives legislative effect to increases in Social Security* benefits announced in the Budget. Part II contains several' miscellaneous provisions relating to monetary benefits. Provision is made for the payment of part of the benefits where a wife or widow is in receipt of a war pension for her own disablement. The Social Security Commission mav increase up to £26 a year the rates of benefits granted to parents of deceased members of forces or the Mercantile Marine.

Asked by the Leader of the opposition (Mr S. G. Holland) if the bill increased the allowable income of age beneficiaries beyond £1 a week, since purchasing power had fallen so greatly, the Minister of Social Security (Mr W. E. Parry) said the increases were basic increases and not cost of living increases. The increases "epresented the natural development of the Social Security principle in accordance with the productivity of the country.