Giant health insurer Southern Cross allows people to put policies on 'hold'
Thursday, 2 April 2020
Southern Cross Health Society said New Zealanders struggling financially in the face of the coronavirus pandemic could put their policies on hold for three or six months.
The options are designed to assist members and businesses experiencing severe financial hardship due to Covid-19, said chief executive Nick Astwick.
Southern Cross Health Society is a not-for a-profit friendly society with 870,000 members who have health insurance policies with it.
Some scheduled for elective surgery, such as for hip or knee operations, had their surgeries postponed when the national coronavirus lockdown was announced.
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Astwick said the financial support options on offer to members included the ability for members who had experienced a loss of income, and were no longer in paid work, to put their policies on hold for up to six months.
Members experiencing financial hardship could put policies on hold for up to three months.
During this time members were not required to pay premiums and retain their pre-existing cover while being unable to make claims, Astwick said.
Eligible members also had the option to add an excess to their plan, remove add-on modules or downgrade their plan to reduce their premiums.
'My message is very clear: we are here with our members every step of the way,' said Astwick.
'That means if you have lost your income and need to put your health insurance policy on hold, that's something we can offer you.'
'We are closely monitoring the impact of Covid-19 on our members and will be announcing further initiatives to support them shortly.'
Astwick said Southern Cross had moved quickly to remain open and available to its members, with all of its contact centre staff working remotely.
Members could submit claims as usual online or via a mobile app, including the ability for eligible members to submit claims for virtual and phone consultations with GPs and specialists.
But Southern Cross did not pay for people to be tested for Covid-19 as that was provided free by the public health system.