Posted by Michael Wonder on 30 May 2017
Political roundup: Is the Government spending enough on health?
30 May 2017 - Public health is shaping up to be one of the key battlegrounds of the 2017 general election. And despite National's contentious claims of record new spending on health in the Budget, the bigger question remains - is it enough?
The National Government has once again proclaimed that its latest Budget increases health spending and, this time, it's the biggest rise in 11 years. The Budget committed an extra $879 million to expenditure on health - taking the health budget to a record high of $16.77 billion in 2017/18.
Yet various critics, including the Labour Party, are saying National has effectively cut health expenditure, and much more needs to be spent. They can't both be right, can they? In fact, a case can be made for both sides, and it depends on how you measure and compare the spending. And, of course, whether the Government has effectively increased or decreased the health spend, the question remains: should more be spent on health?
