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HEALTH INSURANCE
The role of Health insurance
Private health insurers are able to cover the cost
of many semi-urgent and non-urgent procedures. The health insurance
industry complements the public health system by ‘bridging the gap’
between what the public health system can sustain and what we, the
public, want for our health.
The health insurance industry makes an enormous
contribution towards the health and well-being of New Zealanders. In
2009 health insurers spent around $750 million on healthcare, the
majority for the 15–64 year age group. The private system carries out
half of all elective surgery in New Zealand.
Public health in New Zealand
We are fortunate in New Zealand to have a good
public health system, but there are limitations as to what it can
provide.
If you are very
ill or require emergency treatment, you should always go to your public
hospital, where you will receive immediate attention. But if you don’t
require immediate treatment, then you’ll need to go through an
assessment process and qualify for elective service in the public system
– a process which could take months, even years.
And if you don’t meet the criteria for
publicly-funded surgery you need to consider paying for surgery in a
private hospital, which can be costly, unless you have health insurance.
The
types of Health Insurance covers available:
Major Medical: A health insurance
product that provides cover to a high limit for most medical and
surgical expenses incurred in hospital. There are various levels of
excess available on the policy, which will help reduce premiums.
Specialists and Tests: This product is provided in addition to
Major Medical insurance. It usually covers any outpatient specialist
consultations and diagnostic tests. Specialist visits and diagnostic
tests can very often be expensive.
Comprehensive Insurance:
This covers, among other things, GP visits, prescription costs and
complementary medicals.
What EBS offers you!
Our collective bargaining strength enables us to
offer you:
Choice: we offer a wide range of hospital cover
options from some of the leading health insurance providers in New
Zealand; Considering the number of people on the
"elective surgery" waiting list in New Zealand, we recommend you
seriously consider taking out Health Cover for you and your family.
If you would
like to talk to an Adviser about protecting the health of you and your
family or if you would like a review of what you already have in place,
please either e-mail
contact@ebs.org.nz or
call our Helpline on:
0800 268 3763
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