Health Insurance
In emergency situations (like a car crash for example) the New Zealand public health system usually does a great job. However for "non-urgent" situations, which can even include major health issues, treatment in the public system can involve long and difficult waiting lists.
Health insurance is a way to avoid waiting lists, and access top medical care when and where you need it.
How does it work?
With health insurance you can access treatment in a private hospital, and your insurer will pay (they can either reimburse you or pay the health provider directly). This means that you won't need to join a public hospital waiting list, and it also usually means that you have a wider range of treatment options, hospitals, and medical specialists available to you.I have specialised in providing health Insurance over the last 30 years and have seen many situations where having health cover has enabled my clients to get treatment quickly and by whom they want when they want.
Back in 1992 the cost of an open heart bypass operation was $8-$12,000 now the same operation costs $55,000.
Hip replacements were $4-$6,000 now they cost $32,000.
How about Spinal surgery for degeneration not covered by ACC, the cost can be as high as $100,000
So relying on savings to cover the cost of future operations is risky.
Call or contact us for a review of your health insurance needs.
021901919 (Kevin)
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Frequently Asked Questions
- How much cover do I need?This varies for every person we deal with, the best thing to do is run through the simple planner we have developed.
You can get started right now by completing the simple enquiry form to the right hand side of this page. We will then come back to you with some additional questions that will help us to establish the amount of cover you need for your personal situation. - What is usually covered?A good health plan will cover 100% of your major medical expenses, minus any "excess" (the part of the hospital bill that you pay). This includes things like surgery, hospital charges, etc. It's also common for plans to cover specialist and test costs both before and after your treatment in hospital. In addition, plans will often pay for a range of "major diagnostic" costs (like MRI scans, CT scans, angiograms, etc), even if you don't need treatment in hospital.
- What extra cover is available?
Usually you can choose an extra "Specialists and Tests" add-on. This means that specialist and test costs are covered, even if you don't need to go to hospital (for example a referral by your GP to have a test done or have a consultation with a specialist). This can be a good add-on to have because multiple specialist visits or tests can be quite expensive. - Who can apply?
Usually any New Zealand citizen, permanent resident, or people on a 2 year Work Visa can apply. - Why have my health Insurance rates gone up so much?Health Insurance rates increase on average 10% per year because of medical Inflation.
They also increase because of age.
If you are part of a group scheme and the claims experience of the group is higher than the average, further increases may be applied.
If you are concearned about your health insurance costs please contact us for a review, there may be better options available. - What options do I have for health insurance if my rates are getting too expensive?The best thing to do is call me.
Options include applying for other cover through the many options we have available, however if you have pre-existing conditions these may be excluded off the new policy. - Am I covered if I'm out of the country?Life , Income Protection , Trauma and Total and Disablement cover, usually cover you anywhere in the world 24 hours a day, Health insurance only covers you for treatment in New Zealand.
Special conditions sometimes apply please check your policy wordings for full details.
This image is from a scan on a client who was diagnosed with a brain tumor the size of a Lemon, believe it or not, he had no pain and no Idea it was even there.
Talk to us today about your health insurance needs.
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