Health Insurance highlights from the FSC Conference 2023

Our Building Consumer Confidence Conference included special breakout sessions focusing on Health Insurance, alongside the political and regulatory main plenary sessions across the conference.

These breakout sessions were designed to bring robust discussion and specialised knowledge to the issues affecting the New Zealand health insurance industry.

15th August - MEMBER ONLY MASTERCLASS

The great Genetics Debate – creating a win-win for customers

This session was designed to deep dive and debate practical issues facing the FSC's Life and Health Insurance sectors. The outcomes included collaborative industry narratives and practical tools and ideas for members to take back into their businesses.

SPEAKERS:

• Nick Kirwin - Independent Insurance Consultant
• Len Elikhis - Chief Product & Investment Officer, AIA NZ
• Adrianne Lowe - Chief Underwriter (Life), Asteron
• Professor Andrew Shelling - Associate Dean, University of Auckland
• Fay Sowerby - Non-Executive Director and Trustee, Cancer Care (AgenDA)
• Olivia de Pont - Senior Associate, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts
• Kate Dron - Chief and Appointed Actuary, Partners Life 

16th August 

Breakout session 

The future of the Health System in NZ: Public and Private innovating together?

• Louise Zacest - CEO, Unimed (Facilitator) 
• Dr. Stephen Child - Chief Medical Officer, Southern Cross
• Rob Campbell - Chancellor at AUT University, Chair for Ara Aki, Chair for NZ Rural Land and Advisor, BBM 
• Keriana Brooking - Partner, PWC

This session looked holistically at the NZ health system and how innovation and a close working relationship between government and the private sector could remove the shackles and supercharge innovation.

We explored ways in which working together can improve productivity, for example, by getting Kiwis back to work quicker on the one hand, and on the other, making our health system one that attracts the brightest and the best talent into New Zealand.

Breakout session 

A sustainable health insurance sector: Pressures in the system

SPEAKERS:

• Nick Astwick - CEO, Southern Cross Health Society (Facilitator and Keynote/intro)
• Adam Jennings - Head of Business Partnerships, ACC
• Fiona Michel - CEO, Braemar Hospital, Hamilton, and on behalf of NZPSHA.
• Paul Roseman - GM Strategic development, ProCare

The NZ health system is complex, and that drives inequity. This session broke open the debate into the Pharmac funding system, ACC, prevention,  education, and through experiences from overseas, debated how NZ can create a long-term, sustainable and fair health system for all.