We’re lucky to have a two-tiered health system in New Zealand. Despite public care being available to everyone, here’s three key reasons if you are questioning the need for private health cover.

1. More treatment options and specialists

In the public system, not all specialist treatment is funded and wait times can be long. You also don’t necessarily get to choose your specialist or where and when you get treated.

This can take away a lot of your control. It also impacts how easy it is for you to see a specialist, how timely and comfortable treatment may be, and how quickly recovery happens. Private health insurance gives you a choice of who treats you, when and where.

2. Reduced wait times

Unless it is medically urgent, having a costly or difficult operation for free in the public system usually means going on a waiting list. If it is medically urgent, it pushes other, non-urgent operations down the waitlist, due to limited resources and capacity. So, if you are on a wait list, there’s no guarantee of when you will be seen.

If you need treatment without the wait, and want to lessen your time away from work, family and regular life, then the private health system can help to bridge the gap. It also offers more choice for you to choose when you want treatment, where you receive the required treatment and who to see.

3. More available medicines

Many medicines in New Zealand are subsidised or funded by the Government, significantly reducing their cost. Medsafe approves drugs for use, then PHARMAC decides which of those drugs can be funded in the public system. Choosing a medical insurance cover that includes non-PHARMAC funded medication provides greater access to additional treatment options.

Comparing public and private healthcare