If you are thinking about taking out some sort of individual health insurance plans you will be joining over one million other New Zealander’s who are already enrolled in some sort of programme. This number may be high considering we have a reasonably good public health care system, but as many people find, having a private system can help you get the help you need right away, as soon as you need it.Private healthcare gives you the opportunity to have more control about the timing and quality of your care. You have more options such as being able to select the doctor or specialist you want to see, and schedule appointments around your lifestyle. You may not get all your costs back, depending on the type of care and whether it is covered under your plan, but you will be able to claim back large portions of your costs.If you require emergency treatment you’ll probably still go to a public hospital, but for any elective surgery (and sometimes things that are called elective feel very necessary!) taking it out of the public system will give you the help you require now.Individual health insurance plans can cover such surgeries as knee or hip replacements, heart surgery, removal of cancerous tumours or a hysterectomy. It can also include some of the diagnostic procedures used to determine whether you have a problem such as an MRI or endoscopy.There are a range of plans on offer but they typically fit into main groups: one is a major medical type policy, which covers private surgery, specialist visits and diagnostic tests, another is the comprehensive type of plans that also covers day to day costs like GP visits and prescriptions, and dental and optical cover.As specialist brokers we can place business with all the health insurers, so we need to establish your needs and medical status etc before making a recommendation. We can even provide you with a series of plans that will cover qualifying pre-existing medical conditions after 3 years. This is an extremely valuable benefit and can be worth many thousands of dollars to people with serious health problems.The premiums are age related so the cost will increase each year, (the older you are the more likely it is that you’ll have to claim).Plan for and protect your future by looking at individual health insurance plans and select the one that fits your needs best.