Health insurance coverage increases

It is the third successive quarter where coverage has grown.  There are now 1.34 million people with health insurance in New Zealand, up 0.3 per cent year-on-year.

Life insurance coverage started to drop from the end of 2012, when there were 1.35 million people with cover. It fell to a low of 1.32 million in the March quarter this year before picking up again.

Much of the increase has been in the younger 25- to 35-year-old age group, which HFANZ said could be due to the increase in popularity of a new category of comprehensive health insurance products, marketed to a younger audience.

The number of people in that age group with health cover increased by 5000 people in September compared to the same time the year before.