During a pandemic is when you truly need medical insurance
Acute medical conditions, including life-threatening Covid-19 infections, are dealt with by the public health system. So why is medical insurance particularly important during a pandemic?
Private medical insurance will generally fund most non-Covid-19-related elective and non-acute treatments provided by the private health system. Most of these treatments would normally be available through the public health system, but may become unavailable or substantially delayed due to capacity constraints caused by a variety of factors:
- Nursing and medical staff shortages as a result of the Government’s health sector mandates.
- The backlog of deferred surgical and medical treatments caused by multiple sustained lockdowns, the numbers of Covid-19 patients, restrictive hospital protocols required during a pandemic and staff shortages when isolation is required. This is a serious concern as patients, on ever-increasing hospital waiting lists, wait indefinitely for treatment – treatment that they could have through private medical insurance.
The public health care system is under pressure
Private medical treatment also relieves pressure off the public health system, particularly with respect to major diagnostic tests and elective surgery.
If you need a knee or hip replacement or cancer surgery or any other non-emergency treatment, how long will you now have to wait for it in the public health system? Covid-19 has pushed its way to the front of the queue, pushing other important medical treatments aside which is why Covid-19 makes health insurance essential.
It is important that both the public and private health systems are strong, fully functional, and complementary. Having medical insurance will provide the funds to get covered treatments undertaken in the private system. In a nutshell, private medical treatment was important before Covid-19 but is even more so in the new Covid world.
Covid-19 makes health insurance essential
It’s an important time for us all to consider our relationship with private medical insurance and to, at least, understand the increased value of having such protection in place during a pandemic. But private medical insurance comes at a cost, and it is important to talk with a trusted adviser to identify the most suitable product for your needs at a cost that is manageable and sustainable.
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