According to reports from September 2022, less than one-quarter of New Zealanders now have private health insurance – down from the one in three people reported in mid-2021. This means that for the majority, aside from accidental injuries that may be eligible for ACC, all of their health costs are completely out-of-pocket. 

Unfortunately, having funds ready and waiting for either an urgent appointment or when you want to be proactive and take control of your health before it worsens, is not a reality for many people. In the past 12 months, up to 39% of New Zealanders have avoided visiting their GP when they have a genuine medical need due to the cots, up to 25% fail to collect their medical prescriptions due to the copayment fees, and many more delay looking after their health until the next paycheck or beyond – a delay which can work out to cost a lot more in the long-run.

With the cost of living skyrocketing, inflation growing higher, and talks of a potential recession, it is clear that change needs to happen – fast – in New Zealand’s health-related financial climate. And thanks to HealthNow – we’ve taken a massive leap forward with a digital health wallet that can be paired with employer aid payments.

What Is A Digital Health Savers Wallet?

Think of your digital health savers wallet like a separate bank account stored on a safe and secure app – except it’s not at all tied to your bank account, and you don’t even need to deposit money into it – many people are using the app to take employer aid payments (more on that below) or contributions from family members who want the security of knowing that your funds will be used specifically for your health and well-being.

Of course, you can also contribute to the account to have a safe place to store health-related funds, with you maintaining complete control as to how much you want to contribute and how often. You even get a free $10 credit to your account when you sign up through a simple, easy and free process.

What Is Employer Aid?

Employer aid payments are funds that are directed into your digital health savers account to be used on any health service you choose – from prescriptions and products purchased from the pharmacy to dental bills to counselling sessions. As long as they’re a HealthNow provider – you have complete freedom to choose how to best support your health – and your family’s.

Many businesses are opting for this model as opposed to contributing towards a private health insurance plan because of the known drawbacks such as restrictions, exclusions and long stand-down periods, little flexibility in the plans to account for personal factors, not being able to use your plan to support other family members (which often impacts our own health), and much more. 

Whether you’re contributing to your health wallet or your employer is, you instantly gain enormous benefits at no cost to you, including:

The money in your health wallet doesn’t ‘roll over’ or disappear if you don’t use it 

Let’s face it, sometimes we go through periods of one sickness, injury and problem after the other – and other periods are relatively calm and steady. With regular private health insurance plans, many feel like the benefits they or their employer pay for are just ‘lost’ if they don’t make their claims. With the digital health wallet, your funds are never lost or removed if they’re not used. They’ll be ready and waiting for you (or your family) when you need them the most.

Your health wallet covers your family, too

A big and very appealing point of difference with the digital health wallet is that it can be used to support the health of your family members, too. This may be seen as a ‘holistic’ approach because a person’s health can be greatly influenced by what’s going on around them and the health of their family members, and so helping them get the help they need will support your well-being too. Paying for separate private insurance plans for every member of the family can be very expensive, meaning that even if you did have a private health insurance plan for yourself, you’d still be forced to pay out-of-pocket for medical services for your family while your own fully paid insurance plan sits unused. 

Digital health wallets are free

We know how disheartening it is to find hidden costs or deceptive terms and conditions in the fine print.

You can be assured that your digital health wallet alongside specific other features of the HealthNow app is completely free for kiwi families – no account fees, set-up costs or interest. This means you can focus your money on your health – as it should be.

No exclusions or limitations

Still on that long stand-down period? Thought you’d have an expense covered only to find out that due to the fine print, you’re not? Not with HealthNow. There are no terms and conditions when you use the funds with a HealthNow registered provider, leaving you and your family always covered for care. As long as you have a digital health wallet, you can access any of HealthNow’s services.

Ditch the paperwork

One of the much-loved features of the health saver’s wallet is that unlike the endless forms, paperwork, receipts and ‘proof’ that an insurer requires before they decide whether to support your claim or not, there is no paperwork once you’ve signed up with HealthNow. Just a few taps on the screen of your phone and you’re set. Receipts and information are always available within your online account. This has been especially helpful for many newly married couples that have had a name change, but have surname inconsistencies on their IDs or receipts.

Make your funds go even more with Buy Now Pay Later

While your funds are being stored on HealthNow’s platform, you also get completely free access to all of their other features – including their easy buy now pay later service that you can use together with your funds. This means that when it comes time to pay for your health service for yourself or your family, you can select to spread the payment over up to twelve weeks, and only pay the first instalment on the day of your appointment using your health wallet – while your provider gets paid in full on the day. Over the coming weeks, your payments will continue to be deducted from either your saver’s wallet or another account – so you can choose to keep your wallet topped up for another day.

Get The Care You Need Today

HealthNow is currently being used across medical centres, screening facilities and a range of other health services across New Zealand. Register free today by downloading the app, and check out HealthNow’s full benefits and features on their website, including a health wallet to store funds set aside for health services that can be contributed to by others including your employer.