It’s there when and where you need it, providing superior medical benefits at the lowest possible prices and providing peace of mind when things go wrong.

In the past year, the three top treatments provided to members, and the amounts paid out, were:

• Spinal surgery ($52,000-$126,000 per procedure)
• Heart bypass ($52,000-$70,000)
• Cardiothoracic surgery ($55,000-$69,000)

Behind the stats are real people, often going through tough times themselves or with their families, and here’s what they have to say about their experiences.

“I cannot speak highly enough of the Police Association Health Plan team. Thank you for making such a difficult time a little bit easier.”

“The way you dealt with things so quickly and with compassion really blew me away.”

“You’ve truly gone over and above for us and we're so very, very grateful and touched by your kindness.”

“I wish to thank you for your help throughout our daughter’s surgery. In trying times like this, it is a great comfort to know that caring people like yourself are there to provide assistance and guidance. You have honestly been great and I can’t thank you enough for the support you have provided.”

“I’d like to pass on my thanks for all the great work you do, that I would assume largely goes by without any recognition. I had successful surgery this week for prostate cancer, approved through the Police Health Plan. Taking away the cost concern, which is a major factor nowadays, really helps to reduce stress. I’d rather not be having to rely on your assistance, but knowing I can, and that your service is top-notch, is a great relief.”

The feedback is really important to us because our members are the heart of this not-for-profit scheme.

Unlike most health insurers, the Police Health Plan looks for reasons to pay out claims, rather than reasons not to.

At the core of the plan is its collective strength, with every dollar paid in translated into claims paid out to members.

Many members are already well aware of the benefits of belonging to this plan, but here’s a brief look at some of the best bits:

• At the end of July, the Police Health Plan had the highest claims payout ratio of all healthcare schemes in New Zealand. The secret is that we work for our members, not shareholders.
• Under the Health Plan, you can also cover your partner, children (including sons-in-law and daughters-in-law) and grandchildren.
• Police recruits who join during their training and graduation period don’t have a three-month stand-down period before being able to claim.
• We recently increased dental benefits from a $200 limit to a $400 limit.
• The limit for GP surgery has been raised from $750 to $1000.
• The rates for senior members are significantly less than those offered by other insurers.
• We have an A- credit rating, which means “excellent”.

Read more about the Police Health Plan.