[Oregonkiwi]

Nik won't be eligible for public health when we first arrive in NZ (American, less-than-2-year work permit). I know that accidents are covered under ACC, but there's still the risk of illness needing hospitalization, and I don't feel like gambling.

The catch is, the usual health insurance companies (State, Southern Cross, etc) will only insure people who are eligible for public health coverage. So, if you're covered by public health, and don't really need insurance, they'll insure you. But if you're not eligible for public health, and do actually need insurance, then they won't insure you. :uhoh

I've found one company, Uni-care, that provides the kind of coverage he needs. Just wondering what other people in this situation have done and if there are other companies that I haven't found.

Thanks!

[montana]

Hello,

Well I am in the same boat - currently looking for health insurance. I had planned to go through ASB since we bank with them (think they use Sovereign) but they have come back wanting records of my entire medical history (which I don't have and which would be a huge pain to find since I have moved around) so I am looking again.

Is this standard for most insurers? Any experiences (good or bad) that people have had w/ specific insurers would be appreciated. Thanks!!!

There is some good preliminary information on the consumer.org.nz website. Here are their ways to save:
Concentrate on the big risks

Don't insure for day-to-day medical expenses. If you want health insurance, protect against the big risks with Hospital and Surgical Only cover. Comprehensive policies, which cover your everyday costs, are unlikely to be worth the cost. However, if the comprehensive policies are available through your employer at discounted premiums then they may be worth considering.
Shop around

Choose a Hospital and Surgical Only policy with high claim-limits and as broad a cover as possible. Getting quotes from several insurers may uncover a difference of hundreds - even thousands - of dollars. Always carefully compare the cover you are being promised too.
Choose a higher excess

An excess is the part of each claim which you pay. Health policies can often be bought with a nil excess, but many companies offer reduced premiums if you opt for a higher excess.

Take the highest excess you can comfortably afford to pay. The bigger the excess, the lower your premium. For example, our older couple could cut their annual premium in half by taking an excess of $2000.

Make sure you have the money for the excess available at short notice, in case you need it.
Look for other discounts

Group premium rates available through some employers and unions can save you hundreds of dollars.

Package discounts (where you get a discount because you use the same insurer for other types of insurance) aren't widely available, but look into it if you have other business with a health insurer. If you join as a group member, you may find your pre-existing conditions are covered as well (but always check).
Forget budget policies

Forget budget policies which pay out only 80 percent of bills - if you're faced with truly expensive surgery, they'll leave you hugely out of pocket.

Some insurers pay for actual costs of treatment; others pay according to a schedule of figures they have for different procedures. If your operation costs more than the schedule cost, you'll normally end up paying the remainder.

We think a better option is to find a policy which pays 100 percent.

Insurers say these policies give surgeons and private hospitals an open chequebook, leading to rapidly growing medical costs. We agree medical inflation is a problem, but policies which pay only 80 percent of surgical costs aren't the solution. They prevent people from getting very expensive procedures if they can't afford to pay their 20 percent of the costs.

[Rose]

Have you tried travel insurance? You can often get a good deal if you opt for a high excess (so you pay for doctor's appointments etc yourself). You have to ask the agent to quote you for this - they don't often advertise it because the premium is lower. But it would give you peace of mind if disaster struck.

[backtonz]

Hi.. You should checkout Sovereign and AIA..

[Junnifer USA]

Whe we first arrived (17 months ago) we had with us US travelers insurance that was specifically designed for expats. It was a one year policy, renewable. ANd, quite comprehensive. It only convered us in NZ, so when we made a trip back to the US we had to purchase the typical Kiwi travel insurance for the short duration of our stay. WIthout looking it up, I think the family paid about $US 1,500 for the year for the 3 of us.
The peace of mind was worth it.

[Park City Partner]

I got private health insurance through a broker named Tim at Inform. He was great! Asked a bunch of questions and then proposed several optionas and recommended one option. He walked us through the application process which did include a detailed history but I didn't have to provide actual medical records. I had a few things excluded which Tim explained and in the end we are covered by Sovreign.

I would highly recommend Tim and it won't cost you anything extra. You can reach him at tim@inform.co.nz. He is very responsive and knowledgeable.

Good Luck.

Amy

[voxel]

I decided on Southern Cross' "Travel New Zealand" package - $90 a month - not sure how it compares to others (anything is better than nothing). It's for students, travellers and Work Permit/Visa types awaiting PR.

[montana]

Thanks Park City Partner! I did speak to Tim and he was wonderful. He went through the different types of insurance and the different providers with me and is going to email some recommendations through. Here is a little synopsis which will hopefully be helpful to others - coming from the US I found the systems very different:

Providers: The main providers are Southern Cross, ING Life, Sovereign, Tower and AIA.

Plans: The plan most people get is the Major Medical which covers "big ticket" items such as surgery. (This is for those eligible for public health system - I qualified w/ returning resident's visa) You can also tack on a specialist benefit, a GP option, day to day expenses (appointments and prescriptions), and dental and optical. These increase the expense greatly but it is personal choice and what is particularly important to you. Pregnancy is not considered a big ticket item - it is not covered by health insurance but by the public health system.

Travel insurance: He did not recommend it because it is a "one-off" and you run the risk of incurring health problems during that time and may have trouble getting normal insurance later. And here is where I apologise for butting into your thread Oregonkiwi - because I know that travel insurance is sometimes the best option. did you find any insurance for your OH?

Medical Records: Because I would find it nearly impossible to get all my medical records he said that most insurers should just underwrite you with the information you give.

Anyway, thanks for all the tips everyone! :nice1

[Oregonkiwi]

I started this thread way back in August and forgot about it, was off on our road trip when the discussion got going... seeing all your posts reminded me that Nik's insurance was still on my to-do list :).
I did look at US "Americans overseas" insurance but it seemed to be more expensive and less comprehensive than NZ policies. The only 2 NZ companies I found that offer coverage suitable for our circumstances are Uni-care and the Southern Cross Visit NZ plan that Voxel mentioned. I spent a while today comparing their fine print (so fun :roll ) and decided on Uni-care. The 2 policies are very similar in price and coverage, but what I like better about Uni-care is, there is no deductible/excess, (SC has a $75 excess "per event"), and they're only interested in pre-existing conditions that happened in the 6 months prior to application. I applied on-line today and got policy confirmation emailed back within a few hours. Hopefully we'll never need it.
Avril