1. Waiting Lists
The Public health system in New Zealand is one of the best of its kind when it comes to treating acute (emergency) services. However, one may not get the same level of attention from the medical fraternity when they are suffering from non-acute type diseases, which is more common. For example, someone who has had a heart attack and needs immediate surgery, or someone who met with an accident and needs to be treated immediately, can avail of immediate treatment.
On the other hand, when one is diagnosed with some heart disease which is not life-threatening and may require surgery, then the person would be put on the waiting list. This may cause deterioration in the medical condition of the patient just because he didn’t have insurance and is waiting for experts to give an appointment. Well, with health insurance, they can shift to a private hospital without having to wait for a longer gestation period.