FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions- NHI & Insurance

What are your acceptable means of payment?

If private surgery is undertaken you will receive separate accounts for the following elements of the surgical episode:

• The surgeons fee
• The anaesthetist fee
• The Facility fee
• Implant costs.

Do I need to have private health insurance?

There is no doubt that the public health system in New Zealand provides excellent acute (emergency) care. Sadly though this high level of care does not flow through to procedures that are considered to be elective (non critical).

Private Health insurance allows you and your family to access the right health services at the right time. You have control of your health care and can choose the provider, facility and timing of your treatment. With the security and protection of private health insurance, you have access to an extensive range of private hospitals and can rest assured that your health is in good hands.

Will ACC cover all your treatments?

It is also important to make sure you know whether or not the health insurance policy you may be considering covers 100% of any treatment you may need. Some policies operate on schedules where the company has a pre-determined maximum figure that it will pay for a procedure. Where this figure is not adequate to cover the full cost of the procedure you will be left to cover the shortfall.

ACC have budget restrictions for surgical treatments in each of the regions. On occasion, when budget capacity has been reached, it may mean waiting longer for surgery until further funds are available. In the event of this happening there is an option to take ACC Regulation Surgery, whereby only a proportion of the fee is covered by ACC and the other portion by private insurance. Taking this option may mean surgery can occur earlier - this should be discussed with your consultant at the time of arranging surgery.

If you have an accepted claim with ACC, up to 100% of the cost of your treatment may be claimed from ACC. For confirmation, please contact your local ACC office or visit www.acc.co.nz

What is National Health Index (NHI) ?

The National Health Index (NHI) is a system used by public hospitals and other health and disability support services to assign a unique number (the NHI number) to people who use their services. The NHI, and its predecessor the National Master Patient Index, has been part of the New Zealand health and disability support system for over 20 years, and a person's NHI number is usually assigned at birth.

The NHI holds a person's name (including alternative names, such as maiden names), ethnicity, date of birth, sex, and date of death.

Who has access to the NHI information?

Only health agencies that are involved in providing health services can access and use the information on the NHI. The New Zealand Health Information Service manages the NHI under the guidance of the Health Information Privacy Code 1994.