Great big rant about Southern Cross

Bloody Southern Cross! GRRRR!!!!

I checked my policy this morning, and sure enough it said that I was covered for up to $150 per appointment for Band IV Medical Practitioners (which included 'Obstetrics' under the list). However, when I rang them up to confirm that, they said no, that I'm not covered for anything pregnancy related at all, and that pregnancy and childbirth is on the exclusions list. Why list obstetrics then?!

I asked if there was a plan that covered pregnancy the woman said that there is, but it's their most expensive plan and you have to have been on it for three years before claiming anything pregnancy related. Great.

And it's even more frustrating when I look across the ditch (I'm an Aussie) at what happens over there - I worked out that if we had stayed living in Aus to have the baby we'd be almost $8k better off, when you factor in the baby bonus and that most plans do cover pregnancy and childbirth.

GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

Ok, rant over. I feel much better now. Thanks for listening

been there done that...I also have a good policy with SC...and not a thing covered for pregnancy...and i have been seeing a specialist so that has cost us $4000 that i had hoped would be covered...
yep only cover is the top policy and guess what = then it only covers $1000 anyways!!!!
I am pleased we have free maternity in NZ but people like me have to pay for speciliast and i had also thought it was covered...guess what = it used to be!!! I have had my policy now for 5-7 years but they changed it to only ultra care a few years back apparently...just when i was not thinking of getting pg!!!

I know how you feel!!!

ALSO you only have three months (after bubs birth)apparently to add baby to your policy...thats great isnt it when i pay via work and will be on leave etc...we are still tossing up whether to add her or not...

Edited by Bombshell

*start lecture*

Bombshell wrote: ALSO you only have three months (after bubs birth)apparently to add baby to your policy...thats great isnt it when i pay via work and will be on leave etc...we are still tossing up whether to add her or not...

Do it! You just never know. I have UltraCare100 (the top one) and I probably made about 2 claims a year before I had kids. I added the girls and have never for a second regretted it - in the three months since I've had the gremlins I haven't had a single month where my claims have been less than my premium. Yes with Under 5's a lot of medical care is free, but you truly do get what you pay for - there is a 9 month waiting list to see a public paediatric immunology registrar at Starship, you can see the top paediatric immunologist who runs the Starship immunology clinic within 3 months in private practise, and depending on your policy you can get up to 100% of it back. We see Sienna's renal surgeon privately, we've seen a private paed for Merecedes reflux, and all three of them see a private immunolgy/allergy paed. And yet before I had Maya I would never have guessed that my kids would have any health issues at all.

Sorry, I just get really wound up about health insurance coz I hate the sucky public health waiting lists (been there done that with my stepdaughter who I couldn't add to my policy as the condition was pre-existing).


As for Australia being better, me thinks not! I took Sienna to the doctor here the other day, it cost me $55 of which I will get $31 back from Medicare. In NZ it would have cost me nothing. Yes community midwifery care here is free, and you can get obstetrics covered by private insurance, but private insurance only covers a percentage of doctors visits and prescriptions, unlike in NZ where if you have a comprehensive policy everything is covered. They also don't have the same LMC system we have (unless you go private) so you don't have the same continuity of care, and you get one home visit postnatally, versus a minimum of 5 in NZ. And ultrasounds start at $80, in NZ some are free, and most are only up to $30 or so - imagine how much the 17 scans I had with the gremlins would have cost me over here!

Southern Cross did pay for my obstetrician, if you qualify then the cover is $1000 per claims year. My OB charged me $2000, but as my claims year ends in Oct, I was able to claim the whole lot back in two separate claims, one in each claims year of my pregnancy.

*end lecture*

Whats the baby bonus in Oz? And do you get maternity pay like here? Cos that adds up to 4k over the 15 weeks.

In Australia you get paid a lump sum regardless of your income - its $4100 - and its tax free. They don't have a paid maternity leave scheme. Some employers offer it but the majority don't.

Before I found out how restrictive the maternity payment scheme is here in NZ I thought they were pretty much the same but they are not. There are no restrictions on the Australian baby bonus at all - not like here where you have to be taking leave from a job and you have to be either self employed or an employee not a contractor like I was!

Also the Australian bonus is not taxed where as the payments here are.

Isn't everyone entitled to the $1200 baby bonus?

I think it is a parental tax credit is the other option if you don't take the maternity pay. If you talk to WINZ they should be able to help.

I was having this conversation with a friend of mine in Aussie and also a cousin of mine who have both just had babies and they both agreed that NZ was way better in many ways. I could only agree with what they had told me as i have never had a bubs in aussie
But yeah i agree that NZ is better when you add up all the equal entitlements here and in aussie and Nz seems to come out on top
Like i said though i have not had a bubs over there so personally cannot judge

That is the one that keep trying to tell me I am better off with as I didn't earn the amount that "they" recommend you earn to be better off than with PPL. I worked it out myself and I know i'm better off on PPL and plus my DH is taking 2 weeks of it from me so we had to take that option.

I know what you mean about them stating them on there and then not being able to claim. And then the 3 month thing - that one really annoyed me. I got Andrew on when he was 3 months and 3 weeks and they were like "we won't cover anything that is wrong with him now". He had a normal delivery and no birth defects him nothing wrong with him. I know that as soon as this one is born and has a name it will be on the policy.

Don't get me wrong, I love Oz and I love spending time here - you just couldn't pay me enough money in the world to want to live here!

Baysmum - I added the gremlins before I even left Birthcare lol. Andrew should be covered for anything diagnosed AFTER you added him tho, just nothing diagnosed in the first three months. Eg. If I hadn't added Sienna at birth they wouldn't cover her kidney condition.