When an unexpected medical event or crisis happens to your family or yourself - the last thing any of us wants to do, is wait for treatment.
But for the many New Zealanders without the protection of hospital cover, waiting for surgery or other forms of treatment can become a daily reality – significantly impacting their quality of life and their ability to exercise, stay healthy or work, and placing considerable financial and personal pressure on themselves, and their families.
WAITING FOR SURGERY
Non-emergency surgeries in NZ have large waiting lists – and there’s no guarantee that you’ll even get on the list. If a DHB’s rating deem that your condition isn’t severe enough to qualify for a place on the waiting list (even if your doctor or specialist has put you forward) – you might need to choose between paying the full cost of elective private surgery (which for relatively common conditions, can easily exceed $30,000) … or waiting painfully until your condition becomes sufficiently worse!
Waiting lists are common in most western countries as governments battle to balance the ever-increasing cost of healthcare and an aging population. In NZ at any one time there can be around 110,000 people waiting for surgery - with the average waiting time (for those that qualify) around 4 months. For those affected, this could mean missing 4 months salary… 4 months without a social life or exercise… or 4 months living with discomfort, and the pressure of choosing between their money - or their health.
WAITING FOR TREATMENT
Without hospital cover, we can be reluctant to face the high costs of diagnostic tests, scans, specialist consultants or hospital treatment. If left unchecked or unattended, ‘minor’ issues may develop into bigger problems. This cost barrier to treatment can create significant pressure on many NZ families - which just adds to the impact of a medical event on your wallet, your health, your wellbeing, and your family.
So, what can you do to avoid the hidden costs of waiting for treatment?
One option is to consider health insurance. With health insurance, you can access private healthcare services, which can help you avoid long waiting times for treatment. Health insurance can also help you avoid the financial impact of taking time off work to recover from surgery.
If you’re considering health insurance, it’s essential to choose a policy that meets your needs. Look for a policy that covers the treatments you’re most likely to need and has a waiting period that works for you. You should also consider the cost of the policy and whether it fits within your budget.
As a union member, we have you covered
On behalf of our members, we have negotiated with UniMed (our health insurance partner) to offer an exclusive hospital insurance plan with enhanced benefits that covers you for up to $300,000 of surgical expenses (per person, per admission) across elective surgery and related consultations.
Unlike many other insurers, the Hospital Select Plan can cover you for some pre-existing conditions, after you have been insured with us for three years*.
Plus if you are an existing Primary Care Plan Member, you can link your Hospital Select Plan to your Primary Care Membership - and potentially reduce your excess on your Hospital Select Plan by up to the value of $500 in the event of a claim.
If you want to find out how much it would cost you for the hospital select plan, then you can get a quote below. Please note this plan is only available to eligible union members within the education and public services sectors.
If it is challenging for you to work out the best option for you and your family and you’d prefer to work with a financial adviser, we have access to a nationwide team of Monument financial advisers who can provide you with personalised advice on Health Insurance. Monument has been our appointed business partner since the early 1990’s to provide financial advice to our members on life and health insurance products (HealthCarePlus is not legally able to provide financial advice).
They are the experts and can talk specifically about your individual health needs and can give you an honest view as to whether Health Insurance is right for you. Plus they have access to all the main New Zealand Health Insurance Providers so can explain which of their many health plans are best suited to your needs.
So to speak directly to your local Monument adviser, please click the button below to book a free, no obligation chat with them.
You can also download our Health Insurance Guide here to learn more about Health Insurance.
(*) Hospital Select plan provides cover for many pre-existing conditions after you have been insured in the scheme for 3 years. As part of their offer they will provide details as to any conditions that they will provide cover for after 3 years and any serious medical condition that will be excluded for the life of the policy.
Some pre-existing conditions that are permanently excluded for the life of the scheme are Cardiovascular/vascular related conditions, Conditions that may result in the requirement for joint replacement surgery, musculoskeletal conditions including injuries, Cancer, Gynaecological disorders.
Source: “Assessing the demand for Elective Surgery amongst New Zealanders” conducted by TNS New Zealand in 2016. It involved 1800 people and has a margin of error of 3 percent. The research was funded jointly by Health Funds Association of New Zealand (HFANZ) and New Zealand Private Surgical Hospitals’ Association (NZPSHA).
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