The report on New Zealand Mental Health is a disappointing read. Yes, we need more funding in mental health, up there with no **** Sherlock. But the fundamental approach by those with the power to effect real change continues to ignore the suggestions from grassroots New Zealand on what is needed.

Mike King, by his own admission, is an addict and a bully, and after realising this is doing his piece to make a difference and address those things that cause many of the issues the report has determined they don't have a solution for. Mike has had some awesomely effective ideas, yet has been completely shut out of the process.

You’re looking for insurance cover, be it for your life, home, income or health. You have two choices. You can use an insurance advisor to do all the hard work for you, or you could purchase straight from the insurer's website. Which one will you pick?

Obviously, we recommend that you use an insurance advisor and today we’re explaining the five most important reasons why.

Right oh, if you are reading this from the perspective of trying to claim, we might be a bit shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. Though there may still be things we can do, so do check out our claims advocation service. Where we can we help people get the support they need from what is available.

For those who are looking for life insurance and wanting to find the best deal on life insurance, this is the starting point. Knowing what you don’t know that can hurt you.

The best deal in life insurance is a policy that responds and works when it is needed, not the premium you pay. Because paying a cheap premium doesn’t necessarily mean you have the right cover. Nor does it guarantee you put it in place correctly.

Bones. We’re all born with them. Some are big, some are little. Some break often and some grow crooked. As we age, they show their age just like the rest of our body. Our hips and knees are often the first thing to wear out. But how will you know when you need a hip replacement?

4 Signs Which Show You May Need a Hip Replacement

Each year, 33% of deaths in New Zealand are caused by cardiovascular disease. Every 90 minutes, someone in the country dies from heart disease. Then we’ll top that off by saying that 172,000 people in New Zealand, or one in twenty adults, are living with heart disease (NZ Heart Foundation). If these statistics weren’t enough to encourage you to improve your heart health, how about this:

In New Zealand, the number one cause of death for both Maori and non-Maori New Zealanders is ischaemic heart disease.

As a male, your chances of dying from a heart attack or heart disease are enormous. Yet so many men fail to take some simple steps to help improve their heart health. So we’ve put together some easy tips for you to implement into your daily life.

It turns out, doctors really are concerned with the type of poos you have. In fact, there’s even a poo classification system called the Bristol Stool Chart. That means, when it comes to your poo, you no longer need to make a guess at the types you have – you can point instead! The type of make a guess at the types you have – you can point instead! The type of poos you have are something you should pay attention to, as changes can point to several health conditions.

Insurance adviser or insurance broker, what’s in a title?

Quite a bit actually. “Are you an insurance broker?” is a very common question. Yes, sort of, is the answer.

That’s because, under the regulations we have, we’re insurance advisers, not insurance brokers.

What’s the difference?

Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer and with over 4,000 people diagnosed with melanoma in New Zealand each year, we have one of the world’s highest rates. Sun exposure is the number one cause of melanoma, with genetics also playing a part. Melanoma is the uncontrolled growth of melanocytes, which are the cells which produce the pigment which colours our hair, skin and eyes. If caught early enough, it is treatable, but once it has spread, the prognosis is not so great.

It’s all about Pharmac when it comes to melanoma treatment. Pharmac either fund it or they don’t. If they do and if it is the right treatment for you, then you get it. If they don’t, even though your doctor recommends it, you get a big fat no. A no is not something you want to hear when you’re battling a diagnosis of melanoma, regardless which stage it is at. So, how do you turn that no into a yes and get the right treatment for you?

Do You Need to Fight for Your Melanoma Treatment?

Breast cancer is a game changer. With over 3000 women and 20 men diagnosed each year, breast cancer wrecks lives. It’s not all doom and gloom however. If identified while it is in the early stages, a complete recovery is possible. The problem being, access to free breast cancer screening is restricted here in New Zealand.

Truth About Breast Cancer

It sucks. What more can I say?

If you are looking for the '13% level of funding in New Zealand' Article, it's moved here due to some changes with our web software, if not, read on ;)

An estimated one in four New Zealanders will at some point suffer from anxiety during their life according to the Mental Health Foundation. As the most commonly diagnosed mental health condition in our country, anxiety is also a condition many people do not seek medical assistance with. Yet excessive anxiety can cause significant disruptions to the life of an individual, making early recognition and treatment essential.

So you have existing medical insurance cover but you are concerned about unfunded and non-Pharmac subsidised medicines, especially for cancer.

You are concerned because your present cover is either limited or non-existent for this area of your medical treatment. 

If you are fit and healthy then this is not quite the issue it could be and moving to a plan that does cover this is relatively straight forward. 

But that’s not the reason you are reading this either.

This is an update of my earlier blog dated the 14th of March 2016 which can be found here for comparison.

I'm updating this post as a new one as we have had Sovereign come out with an announcement that they will be retrospectively applying un-funded medicines cover for cancer to their historical medical product range. This one change effectively doubles the cover and unfunded access to treatment in New Zealand. That's Huge!

Those that have been reading my blog and social posts on a regular basis will have seen I’ve got a particular bee in my bonnet about unfunded medicines. Partly driven from my view insurance advice needs to improve but also ensuring you have access to the best treatment possible when you really need it the most.

From time to time I get updates through from insurers with their claim stats. I recently posted a blog on medical coverage for un-funded medicines and had a look at insurance literacy for clients.

I like information, the sort of information that gets away from the typical and very usual FUD. Fear Uncertainty & Doubt that my industry often trades on to get sales. 

I rant a bit in this one; it is an issue we, collectively, don't spend enough time and energy on.

It is been commented in many online forums, that the scaring and very pushy what if? Isn't appreciated. I must admit I do not like it much either. Which is why I try and stay away from it and deal with the facts. 

Part of the reason people take longer to make decisions, but they do make better decisions as a result.

My point, while I do not trade on FUD, I certainly have some disturbing stories and stats. Some may look on the surface as FUD. They are based on the reality of you and me, the average person. 

The person getting on with life, family and business and gets knocked over with something unexpected and often unplanned for.

What’s this post all about?

It is about you, your health and how you can access treatment in a more effective way.

It seems I'm destined to write an article about this time every year about breast cancer and the challenges people face with their insurance company's getting breast reconstructions done.

This year it is this article in the New Zealand Herald, 11th Hour Shock, for Anna Jobsz who is having a preventative mastectomy and breast reconstruction. This follows on from the high profile treatment Angelina Jolie had when she found out she was exposed to a high chance of developing breast cancer.