Details: National Travel Assistance Policy
From 1 January next year, people around the country will have more help with access to specialist health care. The National Travel Assistance (NTA) policy was announced in May, but details of how it will impact different regions have not been available until very recently. The policy will replace regional policies, and will see the number of people eligible for assistance more than double to over 100,000.
The scheme is targeted at people who:
- have to travel long distances to access specialist health or disability services (outpatient, inpatient or day patient secondary or tertiary services) outside their community area;
- incur high travel costs as a result of frequent visits to specialist health and disability services; and
- have significant financial need that might otherwise prevent them from accessing necessary specialist health or disability services.
So, the scheme aims to help people suffering chronic diseases and those who live in rural areas needing specialist health care. Also targeted are people who live relatively close to specialist health services but who must access them frequently. For example, a Christchurch person suffering cancer and requiring a high dose of radiation therapy five times a week for five weeks will be able to claim travel costs, even though they live in the inner city.
The scheme also recognises the financial situation of families with sick children. For example, a Motueka family with a child who has to travel to Nelson Hospital will be able to claim assistance with travel costs without meeting any frequent travel criteria, as long as the family has a Community Services Card.
The main changes to eligibility under the new policy are:
- people aged 16 and 17 will be eligible for the same (higher) level of assistance as children under 16;
- a higher level of assistance will be available for children with a Community Services Card;
- people referred by a publicly funded specialist to publicly funded specialist services more than 350 km away from their homes will be eligible for assistance, regardless of how often they travel and even if they do not have a Community Services Card; and
- people who have to visit specialist services more than 25 times in two months will be eligible for assistance regardless of how far they have to travel and even if they do not have a Community Services Card.
A copy of the National Travel Assistance (NTA) policy can be viewed on the Ministry of Health's website www.moh.govt.nz/travelassistance and over the next six months information will become available online for patients and their families at www.health.govt.nz/travelassistance
Contact for Enquiries
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Pastoral House
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PO Box 2526, Wellington
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Fax: +64 4 894 0720
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