Why You Need It
Health insurance provides cover for hospital expenses allowing you to seek private treatment rather than relying on the public health system. The policy may also include cover for specialist visits and tests. If hospitalisation does not occur following a specialist visit or tests, this may be included as an optional extra.
- An average of 3362 people per month have been waiting for longer than 6 months for their first specialist assessment through the public health system 1
- Ill health or lack of health insurance is one of the three main courses of people going bankrupt 2
- Health insurance claims in New Zealand topped three quarters of a billion dollars ($764 million) in one year 3
Your health is one of your biggest assets, as without it your quality of life can be significantly affected. If you were to become unwell, you would want to take steps to get back to good health as soon as possible.
Whilst New Zealand has a public health system, you are not always guaranteed fast access to treatment which means you may be waiting for months in pain for a specialist consultation and subsequent treatment. Or worse still, your condition could deteriorate.
The reality is, that whilst you may be in good health now, it is likely that you or someone you love could experience a significant health problem. Having faster access and a greater choice of treatment options means you can bet back to work faster so that you can continue to earn an income and pay those important expenses such as your mortgage, rent and bills.
Data Sources:
1 Average for 12 months ending November 2009, Ministry of Health
2 Ministry of Economic Development Insolvency & Trustee Service Statistical Data 2008-2009
3 Health Funds Association of New Zealand