Very worrying for us olds

Some doctors refuse to treat elderly
18 November 2006
By JOANNA DAVIS

Family doctors are illegally closing their books to people over 65, saying they are too time-consuming and expensive to treat.

Doctors say old people are sicker, usually with multiple problems, and often exceed the allotted 15-minute appointment time, sometimes just by taking twice as long to get undressed.

Chief Human Rights Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan says the practice is unlawful age discrimination. "Every person, whatever their age, has the same right to the highest attainable standard of healthcare," she said. "GPs, like anybody else providing goods and services, need to be mindful of their responsibilities under the Human Rights Act."

GPs blame inadequate funding for the elderly and have raised their concerns at national level in response to a Health Ministry review of the primary health organisation (PHO) funding formula.

GP group Pegasus Health's clinical leader, Graham McGeoch, said if GPs were good with older people, their practice tended to get filled up with them.

"If by bad luck you end up with a lot of over-80s, you'll have a number of people you need to see 20 or more times (a year)," he said. "Then you suddenly find you're making a loss."

McGeoch said one GP at the Barrington Medical Centre where he worked had closed his books to elderly patients. The receptionists told any elderly who called that he was not taking new patients.

McGeoch said the bulk-funding formula was not sophisticated enough to compensate GPs for the extra work. He said GPs' annual lump-sum payment per person over 65 of about $220 could be topped up by a maximum of $217 if the patient had two or more chronic conditions.

The partner of a GP in South Canterbury, who did not want to be identified, said the practice of closing the books to the elderly was rife there. "Timaru is particularly bad. If you're over 70, chances are you cannot get a GP," she said. "They say there aren't any, but there are if you're young."

Her partner, a GP for more than 10 years, had closed his books, saying the elderly had complex health problems, were a higher medico-legal risk and were too slow, taking up receptionist time as well as regularly exceeding the 15-minute slot in his examining room.

She said GPs should not be vilified for restricting the number of elderly patients as they were running a business and needed to be compensated for the work they did.

All GPs sign PHO service agreements that oblige them to accept enrolments from any patient unless they already have a problematic relationship with that person. The document prohibits refusing to enrol people "because of their health status and/or anticipated need for health services".

Carolyn Gullery, chief executive of Canterbury's biggest PHO, Partnership Health, said there was a "let-out clause" if GPs wanted to close their books because they were too busy, but the intention was not that this be used to exclude the elderly.

She said the broad-brush approach to over-65s funding was causing problems across the country "because people aged 65 to 75 don't come (to the doctor) that often, but those aged 75 to 85 come maybe eight or nine times."There's a recognition that this may not be the best way of funding it," she said.

Noonan said the funding issues were matters for negotiation between GPs and the Government. "At the end of the day, sacrificing a particular group of people is not the way to go about changing the system."

Age Concern Canterbury chief executive Andrew Dickerson said cutting out older patients was "totally unacceptable".

- The Press

Wonder if this is because they WANT to go on working or whether they really HAVE to keep working. :-?

More older people in jobs
Monday November 27, 2006

The number of older people in jobs has increased markedly in the last five years, according to data released by Statistics New Zealand today.

There has been a 67.7 per cent increase in the number of 60 to 64 year olds in jobs in the last five years and a 109.4 per cent increase in the number of over 65 year olds in jobs. The increase for those aged between 55 and 59 in work was 48.3 per cent.

The figures are from September 2000 to 2005. Statistics New Zealand doesn't know whether the increase is due to more older workers seeking work or just an increase in the jobs available to them.

Although employees aged 65 years and over had one of the lowest levels of earnings, they had the highest increase in earnings between 2000 and 2005 of 39.2 per cent.

Their average mean quarterly earnings increased from $4750 to $6610 between 2000 and 2005.

- NZPA

Not entirely sure the situation but it will be real good if you can afford to sign up for a personal health insurance. But then, the premium will be higher.

Best way is to stay healthy and active and it is easy to do in NZ.