Posted on 09/04/2003 8:22:27 AM PDT by dennisw
Foreign women to be charged for birth services
04.09.2003
Foreign women who come to New Zealand to have their babies will now be charged for health services, Health Minister Annette King said today.
The Government was closing a loophole that arose after changes were made in mid-1999 giving non-resident women access to free maternity care in New Zealand, Ms King told reporters.
"In future, ineligible women from overseas will be required to pay for antenatal, postnatal and delivery costs for their health care."
Their babies will still receive free health care here.
Ms King said the problem had only recently been brought to her attention by district health boards.
She had been told of at least five websites that advertised "maternity packages" for women wanting to have their babies for free in New Zealand, the United States and Canada.
The changes in 1999 were made to get rid of bad debts as well as help the newborns, who became New Zealand citizens, Ms King said.
"What has happened, it appears, is that women from other countries have heard of this and have decided that New Zealand and the United States and Canada, I understand, are good places to go to be able to have health care provided and citizenship provided," Ms King said.
"We have been a free hit and as soon as there was some clear data, I've moved to change that.
"We cannot be a soft touch...," she said.
Since the 1999 changes, the number of "non-resident" women giving birth in New Zealand had increased from 974 in 1999/2000 to 1657 in 2002/03.
The Ministry of Health has been unable to provide a breakdown of exactly how many of these women were ineligible for free health care in New Zealand.
The figures include some New Zealand women living overseas, who are eligible for free health care here, and other women who are able to have their babies here under reciprocal agreements with their countries -- for instance, the United Kingdom and Australia.
However, Ms King said the figures showed a trend, and it had never been the intention to provide a "haven" for foreign women to have their babies at New Zealand taxpayers' expense.
Within a week, foreign women would have to pay for their maternity care at district health boards.
The minister said she was required to consult with organisations for general practitioners and midwives before foreign women could be charged for their services.
The cost has been estimated at $5000 for a woman who stays in hospital for five days from the beginning of labour.
National health spokeswoman Lynda Scott said the health care of New Zealanders had to come before all visitors and non-residents.
"Making non-New Zealand residents pay for this health care will deter those who have been timing their birth to coincide with a visit to New Zealand so that their child can automatically get New Zealand citizenship," she said.
Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel, questioned on the issue in Parliament today, said immigration policy prohibited visitors from travelling to New Zealand to seek obstetrics treatment, including midwifery and medical services.
"Anyone who enters New Zealand as a visitor with the intention of giving birth in New Zealand is in breach of their conditions of entry.
"It appears that problems have arisen from countries that are visa free and therefore the Immigration Service is looking at ways of improving compliance with current policy."
Ms Dalziel said a letter had been sent to a couple identified in the media as having come to New Zealand for the purpose of having children.
They had breached their conditions of entry and "an alert" would be placed on their travel documents.
In the future, they would need a visa to come to New Zealand: "That visa will probably be declined."
- NZPA
Would that the U.S. would do that. The past decade and more have been overwhelming.
I wonder what the winter weather is like over there?
Thanks for reminding me... I could never do without American football.
I refuse to look at anything called a 'scrum':)
Multiply those numbers by 3000 or so and you'd have the situation we have in the US.
Parasites !
Looks like your better off than we are. There's about as much chance that medical bennies for non residents will be cut off here as there is me being elected guv of CA.
,,, my ten year old son had his last game of rugby for the season last Saturday. I encourage him all I can, of course. Not being a rugby fan though, I have a lot of fun at the office with the armchair testosterone crowd. I'm noted for saying "I wouldn't play any game where I have to hold onto another guy's arse." I'm sure you can imagine that one floats like a lead balloon.
Yikes. Looks like its retirement in Patagonia after all.
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