Heath insurers support New Zealanders to meet their health care and wellbeing needs and the data shows that over 1.4 million Kiwis have health cover.
“Although the current lockdown has impacted the availability of private health services, with most elective surgeries being postponed, we expect to see services restored as New Zealand moves down alert levels,” said FSC Chief Executive Richard Klipin.
“Importantly, customers will remain covered for any medical conditions that they may develop during the lockdown period.”
Most health insurers offer a range of plans, from cover for day-to-day and primary care, to comprehensive hospital and surgical cover, and major medical policies, which typically cover elective surgery, major treatments and specialist visits, the most commonly held policies in New Zealand.
“In the last year, data shows that orthopaedic surgery, cancer and gynaecological treatment were the top three areas of support funded by health insurers,” noted co-chair of the FSC’s Health Committee Lance Walker.
“Interestingly, the data further reveals that more younger Kiwis view health cover as an important part of their financial and overall wellbeing, showing that around 1 in 3 customers with health cover are under the age of 30.“
“Lockdown gives us the opportunity to think about our current and future insurance cover requirements and now is a good time to check that your cover meets you and your family’s needs,” said Klipin.
As we navigate the latest Covid-19 outbreak, the FSC has put together some answers to frequently asked questions around health insurance coverage:
- Does my health policy cover me if I get Covid-19?
In most cases, the public health system will treat people suffering from the impacts of Covid-19. Customers who require any follow up treatment should contact their health insurer for more information.