‍Getting sick isn’t much fun. Being placed at the back of a long public waiting list is even less fun. Graham shares his experiences with navigating the line between health insurance and public health care.

This is not an insurance sell; just observations from my personal experience.

There has been plenty of talk leading up to the election about the Southern District Health Board and waiting lists, particularly in reference to those dealing with prostate cancer. The delay in treatment and assessment has led to a shortening of life for many of those concerned.

What can you do about it? And how do you manage that for you and your family?

Well, if you are in a critical condition, the New Zealand health system is excellent. If you look like you are going to die within the next week then you will be looked after. Also, for some congenital issues, the New Zealand health system is brilliant. As many of you know my son was born with a cleft lip and palate, he's now 23 and the public health system has been excellent during the multiple surgeries and ongoing dental care. However, many years ago, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and went on a waiting list—not so great from our health system. 

For my family, private health Insurance made no difference for my son and his surgery (his congenital birth conditions are not covered) but it saved my mother’s life. Private health insurance meant she didn’t need to rely on her position in the public waiting list, her treatment was paid for and we dodged some scary consequences.

The key to making sense of the New Zealand health system is learning to dance between those two extremes of having great public health support and being shoved to the back of a long waiting list.

Graham Goodisson is a Registered Financial Adviser with Velocity Financial. No investment decision should be taken based on the information in this blog alone. A disclosure statement is available free of charge upon request.