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Member Edition - December 2025
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Welcome to your latest edition of HealthChat. In this edition, meet our new CEO, Lance Walker, use our Member Portal, and see what free Member benefits are available to you.
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A message from our CEO.
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It's a great honour to be writing this latest edition of HealthChat as the new CEO of UniMed. UniMed's not-for-profit centric kaupapa is deeply embedded in the history of the Society. As CEO I am proud to lead a team that turns up every day with a mission to do our very best to provide great outcomes for our Members.
Those of you who were at the AGM last month will have heard our Chair Peter Tynan speak to the challenging environment that we, and all health insurers, continue to operate in. Last year we saw record claim levels, and that continues to be the case. The high level of claims alongside increasing costs of medical treatments and procedures continues to put pressure on premiums. We are very conscious of that, so are doing all we can to manage those through a combination of operational efficiencies, claims cost management initiatives and product design, and ensuring that we have options for Members when affordability is a challenge.
At the same time we all remain dedicated to ensuring that our service levels remain high, especially at the time of claim. This is central to our Member proposition and I have been very impressed with the commitment I have seen from all our people in this regard.
At the AGM we also spoke about the upcoming Rules Review which has been signalled in previous versions of HealthChat. You can read about both on our website. This is the first comprehensive review of the Rules that govern our Society since 2012. The focus is on ensuring that our Rules are fit for purpose and provide the strongest governance for our Society within the regulatory and market context that we operate in.
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Early next year we will be sharing the proposed new Rules and asking for your input as part of a consultation process which we encourage you to get involved in. The adoption of the proposed new Rules then requires a 67% majority vote of all Members at a Special General Meeting (SGM), which is planned for March. Details on the SGM will be sent in January - so keep an eye on your inboxes for this!
Finally, I just wanted to congratulate Chris Flatt who was re-elected as one of our Directors at the AGM. Having Member representation on our Board is one of the things that makes UniMed special, so we look forward to Chris's continued contribution.
With Christmas now just around the corner, I’d like to take this opportunity on behalf of all the UniMed team, to wish you and all your whānau a very relaxing and happy summer holiday season. We look forward to being of service to you in 2026.
Ngā mihi,
Lance Walker
CEO
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Register for your Member Potal.
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To get started simply register for the Portal by clicking the button below. When registering, please use the email address associated with your policy.
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Did you know Christmas is our busiest time for claims - up to three times busier than usual? As everyone tidies up their end-of-year paperwork, delays can happen. To avoid waiting, please submit your claims throughout the year as you go.
You're currently not registered for your Member Portal, which is the fastest and most secure way to submit claims, avoiding delays that can come with email or paper submissions.
Registering only takes a few minutes and once you're in, you can quickly submit claims, upload receipts straight from your phone, and easily check your Health Plan documents to see what you're covered for.
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Health and wellbeing support.
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Active Benefits.
Helping you stay well, every day
Eligibility criteria applies. Check our website for details.
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Active Care.
Personalised support when illness happens
- Coaching program for people living with cancer
- Mental health support
- Nutrition, fitness and recovery support
Eligibility criteria applies. Check our website for details.
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Understanding your Health Plan.
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We do this to protect you from being overcharged by making sure the prices you're charged are fair and in line with what's typical, helping keep healthcare costs fair for everyone.
Because some providers charge more than others, we set an upper limit to keep costs reasonable. If a treatment is priced higher than what we consider a reasonable charge, we may ask for more details, or you might want to explore another treatment option or provider.
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Have you ever looked at your Health Plan and come across wording that doesn't quite make sense?
Health insurance can be complicated, so we're here to help explain some of the common terms you might see.
In this HealthChat, we're breaking down what 'reasonable charges' means.
This is a term used across some of our Health Plans and is sometimes called 'usual and customary charges' or 'reasonable and customary charges'.
When we say cover is based on 'reasonable charges', we're talking about the usual cost for a treatment or procedure (or what most healthcare providers charge in similar situations).
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Member Offers.
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Stay on top of your eye health.
Regular eye exams are essential for maintaining overall health. We've partnered with Specsavers Optometrists to provide you with exclusive discounts throughout the year. This discount is available to all UniMed Members. Please check your Health Plan document to confirm whether you have a benefit that allows you to claim back any costs not covered by this discount.
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15% Off Allianz Travel
Insurance.
We have teamed up with Allianz Partners to offer our Members a 15% special discount for international and domestic leisure travel insurance. From medical coverage to baggage protection, we've got you covered this summer. Use the promo code UniMed15 to redeem your discount via the button below.
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We'd love to hear from you.
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