When the right cover opens the right doors
In 2018, Fleur* made a practical and, at the time, unremarkable decision. She took out health insurance. Four years later, facing bowel and liver cancer, that decision gave her access to a chemotherapy drug that wasn’t publicly funded at the time.
She believes it saved her life.
Fleur was 45 when she first started thinking seriously about her health. Nothing dramatic had prompted it, just a sense that getting older was worth preparing for. She reached out to an adviser, got herself set up with private medical cover, and filed it away as a sensible thing to have done. Life continued as normal.
Then, in 2022, it didn’t.
A bowel cancer diagnosis, which spread to the liver, turned Fleur’s world upside down. Chemotherapy began almost immediately through the public system, where she was struck by the dedication of the people around her.
“The people in public health are working miracles,” she said. “They are just amazing.”
Her treatment plan was clear and structured. Chemotherapy, then liver surgery, then more chemo, then bowel surgery. But early in 2023, an unexpected bowel rupture changed everything. Emergency surgery followed, leaving Fleur with a long abdominal scar and a colostomy bag. Recovery took three difficult months. Worse, the interruption to her chemotherapy schedule meant that when treatment resumed, it was no longer effective.
That’s the moment her private cover became critical.
“That drug was my saviour. I wouldn’t be here without it. Because I had insurance, I could get access to it.
Her oncologist made the decision to move Fleur into the private system, where she could access a chemotherapy drug that wasn’t funded by Pharmac at the time. Her private medical cover took care of the cost.
“That drug was my saviour,” Fleur said. “I wouldn’t be here without it. Because I had insurance, I could get access to it.”
What followed was a gruelling sequence of surgeries and complications. Immunotherapy. Liver surgery to remove tumours. Bowel surgery. An emergency hysterectomy. A clot. Another hospital admission. And then, more recently, further cancer returned in her liver, requiring removal of the right side of the organ.
Throughout it all, Fleur ‘s cover extended to scans, specialist consultations, physiotherapy, psychological support and private hospital care.
Today, Fleur is back at work. There is still a spot on her lung being closely monitored, and her story isn’t finished. But she remains grounded, resilient, and level-headed about what made the difference.
“I felt completely supported, practically, medically, and financially,” she said. “I’d thought ahead – and that gave me a structure to hold onto when I needed it most.”
She’s equally clear about what she’d say to anyone sitting on the fence about health cover.
“If you’ve got car insurance, why wouldn’t you insure your own body? Get health insurance. You never know when you may need it.”
It’s hard to argue with that.
You can read more of Fleur’s story here.
* Name has been changed. Representative image.
Photo by Jackson Currie on Unsplash.
