In spite of 20,000 new people taking out health insurance in the past year (the biggest increase for many years), only 30 per cent of New Zealanders (1.36 million) have health cover – low by international standards and almost half that of Australia (where 56 per cent have cover).
Meanwhile, waiting lists and times for public surgeries/treatments are increasing. Last year, the Health Funds Association of NZ said 110,000 people were on a waiting list while 170,000 had not even made it to a waiting list in spite of being told they needed elective surgery. Wait times were up to an average of 304 days (80 days longer than in 2013).
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