I strongly suggest income insurance, whatever you decide.

I'd estimate I'm not to far under 100k in claims with SX since 2018 relating to multiple kidey surgeries and an eye surgery, with at least one more kidney surgery to come.
At this point I've gotten my value out of it for quite a few years to come and I'm rather thankful I didn't have to wait the 6+ months in pain it would have been for public surgery due to being immediately classed as low priority due to it being considered not a life threatening issue.

With quite a few friends and family members who play the regular game of "Is this bad enough to justify putting you on the waiting list for public surgery" the difference it can make is significant, not to mention planning a proceedure around your life rather than having to deal with an issue for an extended period of time and then planning your life around a relatively inflexible date can make a world of difference to your your work situation (this being one of the bigger reasons employers offer work schemes).

I have to admit I myself did not see the value in it prior to being lucky enough to have cover under a work scheme when I needed it and now pay it happily out of my own pocket.

Thanks for all the advice. Interesting to read peoples experiences. Things have got a bit further in that we are trying to continue with private of some sort and have applied to Unimed and we'll hear what they say about pre-existing stuff. It doesn't doesn't seems hugely expensive, assuming we worked it out correctly. Will probably phone SX up to get a quote as well, but no subsidy from the new work for them.

We're also carrying on with the income insurance.

I am pretty happy with my health insurance - just had a MRI done, with a second one required with contrast liquid. All up it would be almost $ 3500 to be paid if I didn't have insurance. Not counting the upcoming surgery needed to correct the problem identified with these MRI. 

Off topic but might help someone reading this thread.

Some insurance companies occasionally offer short recruitment drive windows where they will take on new customers and NOT exclude pre existing conditions.  That's how I got myself onto SX despite a chronic condition.  We contacted a broker about our health insurance and then out of the blue he came back and let us know SX were doing this to get their numbers up.  Signed up that day.

We also have our son on SX since birth.  It costs very little, and is probably fairly pointless as health care for young kids in NZ is very very good, but it will mean he can stay with SX and be covered in the event he develops something big that would be an excluded item were he to sign up later in life.

To the main point of the post, and to regurgitate what everyone else has said, its speed speed and speed.  You will get health care immediately.  I was hospitalised with constant heart palpitations a while back and they released me and told me I need to wear a heart holster to continuously monitor my heart beat and they'd be in touch shortly.  Over 1 year later I received the letter from the hospital saying they're working on getting me the monitor.  I never ever got the monitor.    The palpitations returned recently so I went to my doctor and via SX had a holster on within days and a cardiologist appointment the following week.

Value wise it depends on how life rolls the dice for you, you'll never know beforehand.

We claimed $30K on our health insurance last year... that's a bad year but that's when these things come into their own.

timmmay:

 

We claimed $30K on our health insurance last year... that's a bad year but that's when these things come into their own.

 

wow that’s a tough year hope everything is better now. I should look at family insurance , I need new glasses as well and so does the other half plus 1 child soo far might be worth it. 

Stu1: Hi all,

Interested in recommendations for kids health insurance for dental
And optical and if it’s worth it? I have 2 kids 11 and 9. The 11 year old has just been diagnosed with Myopia , to much screen time over Covid. We have to get him eye drops made up from a chemist in Auckland which is $150 for three months supply. The specialist cost was $162 for about 45 mins. There will also be glass costs as well. My daughter has been referred to an orthodontist it’s recommended in a few years braces may be required. Is it worth having kids medical insurance for these events or better to start putting money away to cover these expenses?. Out of interest Myopia studies show there has been a rise in kids cases since COVID lockdowns in 2020 too much screen time and not enough hours exposed to natural light outside. May be a generation of glass wearing in the future

Just a FYI - Medical insurance does not cover braces as they are seen as cosmetic. If you have been given a heads up about braces in a few years, start saving now, bill likely to be $5K+

sen8or:

 

Stu1: Hi all,

Interested in recommendations for kids health insurance for dental
And optical and if it’s worth it? I have 2 kids 11 and 9. The 11 year old has just been diagnosed with Myopia , to much screen time over Covid. We have to get him eye drops made up from a chemist in Auckland which is $150 for three months supply. The specialist cost was $162 for about 45 mins. There will also be glass costs as well. My daughter has been referred to an orthodontist it’s recommended in a few years braces may be required. Is it worth having kids medical insurance for these events or better to start putting money away to cover these expenses?. Out of interest Myopia studies show there has been a rise in kids cases since COVID lockdowns in 2020 too much screen time and not enough hours exposed to natural light outside. May be a generation of glass wearing in the future

 

Just a FYI - Medical insurance does not cover braces as they are seen as cosmetic. If you have been given a heads up about braces in a few years, start saving now, bill likely to be $5K+

 

Thank you probably will be braces,  I better start saving hopefully only one child not 2

Medical insurance / private hospitals can be summed up thus - how to jump the queue.

There is nothing I know of that can't be done in a public hospital if you are prepared to wait.

Also, the surgeons doing the ops in the public hospitals are often the same ones at the private hospitals.

Have you noticed how many private hospitals are located next-door to public hospitals? 

If anything goes wrong at the private hospital, they wheel you across to the public hospital so they are clear to operate on the next fee-paying customer.

In my case, I was due to get a kidney stone blasted in the bus which was parked next to a stand-alone private hospital. The work was cancelled because of my sleep apnoea.

If it had been parked next to a public hospital, it would have gone ahead.

As several people have mentioned above, it is all a matter of working out your priorities and the costs involved.

Public hospitals will tend to do kidney stone removal only if you're about to die because of it. Private will do it more proactively.

Stu1:

 

wow that’s a tough year hope everything is better now. I should look at family insurance , I need new glasses as well and so does the other half plus 1 child soo far might be worth it. 

 

Yeah last set of problems fixed, next set queued for the doctors!

duckDecoy:

 

Off topic but might help someone reading this thread.

 

Some insurance companies occasionally offer short recruitment drive windows where they will take on new customers and NOT exclude pre existing conditions.  That's how I got myself onto SX despite a chronic condition.  We contacted a broker about our health insurance and then out of the blue he came back and let us know SX were doing this to get their numbers up.  Signed up that day.

 

5 or so years ago when SX approached my workplace to move the 50 odd staff over from Accuro they offered us cover for all NOT excluding pre existing. So they do offer it from time to time. Its very generous particularly with an older aged workforce.

I would say yes.  It's allowed me to get treatment for two life threatening issues.

Please note I am not criticizing those who work in public health.  The issues are systemic.

I would characterize the NZ system as death by Occam's razor.  The system assumes the most probable cause for your symptoms and access to investigation (let lone treatment) is controlled on that basis, until symptoms progress to the point that it's obvious the simplest (cheapest) diagnosis was wrong.  I've lost several family members this way.  The exception is blood tests, they will hand those out like lollies.

And don't get me started on screening ...

Personally I've had a Melanoma and another cancer detected and removed by the private system, with the public system unwilling to provide investigation or a specialist consultation.

Without Southern Cross, I would be dead.  Twice.  You cannot rely on the public system for anything other than A&E.

Again, I am not criticizing those who work in public health.  I admire people who can front to work every day in such a broken and dysfunctional place.