Private health patients are costing New Zealand's public system up to $11.5 million a year, a new study shows. Photo / Getty ImagesPrivate health patients are costing New Zealand's public system up to $11.5 million a year, a new study shows. "That's the equivalent of 1800 patients moving from the private to the public health care system," Penno said. Until relatively recently, no data has been available to be able to look at private sector activity and the flow of patients between the private to public health systems. "This analysis challenges that preconception, highlighting the small but significant flow of costs from the private to public health sectors and further illustrating the blurred boundaries between public and private provision in New Zealand."

Source: New Zealand Herald February 24, 2021 00:22 UTC