Health Insurance After The Pandemic

If there’s a lesson that the COVID-19 outbreak has taught us, it’s the importance of comprehensive healthcare. Although New Zealand reports no new cases, Kiwis are still wary that a resurgence might happen. 

For this reason, it’s important to talk about health insurance matters. Many would argue that paying a hefty price for a private health insurance isn’t worth it, considering New Zealand offers free healthcare. While this may be true for the most part, health insurance can still be beneficial.

If public hospitals were to become packed with Coronavirus positive patients, the alternative for quality health care would be private hospitals. Since these institutions aren’t covered by the free public healthcare in New Zealand, you would have to pay for expensive health services.

With health insurance, you could save these expensive costs. Before flocking to get a good cover for your health insurance, here are some things to consider first.

Healthcare industry is severely affected by the pandemic

Being primarily a health security issue, the escalation of COVID-19 into a pandemic has setback the healthcare industry with a considerable amount of losses. These losses took the industry by surprise, which will also directly affect New Zealanders’s health services.

Increase in premiums

It’s not impossible to foresee that these losses will result in higher premiums. While existing customers of health insurance companies might pay for minimal price hikes, new accounts may suffer the biggest blow. The increase in premiums for new customers is expected to at least double in cost.

Implement tighter policy 

Another backlash from this pandemic is tighter policies. Since they want to become more careful to avoid further losses, insurance providers might inevitably implement stricter guidelines. Consequently, this might be compensated with a more comprehensive cover for Kiwis.

Health insurance is a long-term investment

Although the concerns of the on-going pandemic seems never-ending, it’s all short-lived. Eventually, the global war against Coronavirus will be won, leaving us to deal with its aftermath. When this happens, health insurance will come in handy.

Backlog in medical appointments

Over the lockdown period, many inpatient and outpatient treatments, including surgeries, have been on pause. As this long waiting list will have to be ticked gradually, this means that you might have to wait longer before they can process your halted treatment. 

Resume medications with health insurance

Since you’ve invested to have your health insured, the resume of your medications will be prioritised. If you have good cover for surgical and non-surgical treatments with GP options, you can reap the benefits of your investment with good health insurance accordingly.

Right coverage for what you need

With the right insurance coverage that matches your needs perfectly, covering future medical treatments will be easy. There are a wide range of policies offering different levels of coverage, including cancer care, diagnostic tests, and dental care, to name a few. 

As the pandemic made evident the issues of healthcare that we wouldn’t otherwise know, health insurance is elevated as one of the most effective solutions. And while it may be just another added expense, it will help you in the future when you need it.

If you want to start insuring your health now, compare the best insurers first here at Glimp. We’ll show you a range of comprehensive policies, which includes different considerations such as pre-existing conditions, vices like smoking and vaping, and more.

Stay healthy and make sure you insure your health too! Get the best health insurance policy that fits your needs by using our comparison tool at Glimp!