Written by · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver — licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Last updated 2026-10-20

Health Insurance Over 60 in NZ: Cost, Cover and Options

Insurers do quote health insurance to New Zealanders in their 60s and 70s, but the price climbs steeply with age and an existing condition is likely to be excluded. Consumer NZ's May 2025 survey found the average premium for a 70-year-old was about five times that of a 35-year-old. Raising the excess is the usual way to keep cover affordable.

In short

Private health insurance is a policy that pays towards private specialist, surgical and related costs. It is priced mainly on age, so the premium keeps climbing through your 60s and 70s. The insurer assesses your health when you apply and may exclude any condition you already have; that exclusion can be permanent or for a set time. Cancelling is not a pause: re-joining later usually means a new application, and the position you had built up may not return. The decision most people face after 60 is not "insured or not" but "which cover, at what excess, and what happens to my position if I change it". The sections below work through the evidence on each.

Can you get health insurance over 60 in New Zealand?

In general, yes, as an existing member or as a new applicant, but we have not found a published table of maximum entry ages for the main health insurers, so ask each insurer rather than assume. What we can source: Consumer NZ's 2025 survey collected quotes from six insurers for 70-year-old men and women, single and as couples, on plans offering at least $300,000 of surgical care. Those quotes assumed non-smokers with no pre-existing conditions, which is the most favourable case (Consumer NZ).

If you have a health condition, expect it to be dealt with at application. Consumer NZ says insurers "may consider covering" a pre-existing condition if they assess the risk as low; if they do not, you will probably still be able to buy a policy, but the condition may be listed as an exclusion. UniMed's published rules describe the same pattern: a personal exclusion is a sign, symptom, condition or body part the insurer does not cover for a particular member, listed on the membership certificate, and personal exclusions run "from 1 year to life" (UniMed: FAQs). Not every condition needs one, but a health declaration needs you to disclose every previous and current sign, symptom and condition. Our guide to pre-existing conditions and health insurance covers the definitions.

How much does the price climb after 60?

Age Average monthly cost (Consumer NZ survey, May 2025)
35 $109 (Consumer NZ)
70 $547 (Consumer NZ)

Basis: average across six insurers' comprehensive or major medical plans with at least $300,000 of surgical care, $500 excess, non-smoker, no pre-existing conditions, from Consumer NZ's survey updated May 2025. It is a survey average, not a quote, and your own premium depends on the insurer, plan, excess and underwriting. Other sources put the cost higher: a financial adviser quoted by RNZ estimated a typical 70-year-old's cost at $800 to $1,400 a month depending on the product and excess. The spread between the two shows how much the plan and excess matter.

Two things drive the climb:

  1. Age. UniMed says that when it reviews premiums it considers the increasing costs of medical procedures and technology and the increasing number and cost of claims, and "because there is generally a need to claim more as you get older, premiums will increase with age" (UniMed: FAQs). Southern Cross's Regan Savage told RNZ that above a certain age it stops adjusting yearly and rates that older group together.
  2. Medical inflation. Premiums in the Consumers Price Index rose almost 20% in the year to September 2025, and 62% over five years and 114% over ten (RNZ, reporting Stats NZ). Consumer NZ also found that prices rose significantly between its 2023 and 2025 surveys.

So a 62-year-old's letter can carry the age step and the inflation step at once. For insurers' published fortnightly and annual quotes at other ages, see health insurance cost by age.

What do you lose by cancelling?

The cost of cancelling is easy to miss because it only shows up later. UniMed's published rules give a concrete example. After a cancellation you have 30 days to reconsider and reinstate. After that, re-joining "may require a new application and health declaration", and "you will probably lose cover for any pre-existing conditions that were previously covered. New personal exclusions and no-claiming periods may apply, and you will lose any loyalty benefits" (UniMed: FAQs). A loyalty benefit is one you can claim only after a period of continuous cover, such as 3 years. Other insurers' rules differ, so ask yours before you cancel anything.

The Financial Markets Authority gives the same warning about replacing cover generally: keep the old policy running until the new one is in force, and watch for new qualifying periods, pre-existing-condition exclusions and different premiums (FMA: Insurance). If you are thinking of changing insurer, read switching health insurance providers first.

Cutting the cost without cutting your position

UniMed lists "a range of options to help manage your premium, including changing to a different Health Plan, adding or increasing your excess, or removing additional modules". It also says that reducing cover, for example moving to a plan with lower benefit limits, removing a module or increasing your excess, does not need a new application or health declaration, while increasing cover, such as adding an underwritten module or lowering the excess, may (UniMed: FAQs). Other insurers' rules differ, so confirm them with yours. Consumer NZ points to the excess in particular: premiums become very expensive with age, and a much higher excess lets you insure for the worst case rather than routine costs (Consumer NZ). Our guide to the excess trade-off works through it.

A sensible order is:

  1. Raise the excess. You pay more of each claim yourself, so keep savings that can cover it.
  2. Remove modules you do not use, such as optical or dental extras, after comparing what you actually claim against what they cost.
  3. Move to a plan with lower limits at the same insurer rather than leaving, and ask in writing whether your existing exclusions and loyalty benefits carry across.
  4. Check for double cover, for example a partner's or employer's scheme.
  5. Ask about suspension if the problem is temporary. UniMed says it can put a policy on hold in financial hardship or a change of circumstances, with no premium and no claims during the suspension.
  6. Cancel only last, knowing it may be a permanent decision.

What you are insuring: the public wait and the cost of care

Consumer NZ puts it plainly: New Zealand has a publicly funded health system, accidents are probably covered by ACC, and if you get sick the public system will help you but you may have to wait. Health insurance helps you access health care faster (Consumer NZ). Health New Zealand reported 196,006 people on the first specialist assessment waitlist and 77,941 on the elective treatment waitlist for January to March 2026 (Health New Zealand, quarter three 2025/26). QuoteHub's arithmetic on the same data puts 103,152 people past the four-month standard on both lists combined (see the public surgery waiting list and surgery wait times). These are national figures for all ages. We have not found a published split by age, so we cannot say how long a 65-year-old waits for a particular procedure.

On the cost side, AIA publishes illustrative claims costs from its own data (AIA Health Claims Data, 30 April 2026): a hip replacement of $35,000 to $50,000, and non-Pharmac funded cancer drugs of $8,000 to $60,000 a month, and says the figures are illustrative only (AIA: Health insurance). That is the exposure you weigh the premium against. Whether health insurance is worth the money depends on your savings, your health and how long you are prepared to wait; our guides on whether health insurance is worth it and ACC versus private insurance set out both sides.

If you are buying for the first time after 60

Expect underwriting to be thorough. Plans with a high excess are often the only version that keeps the premium manageable, and conditions with a history may be excluded. If the condition most likely to need surgery is the one excluded, the policy may not be worth buying, and a licensed adviser should tell you that. Compare the exclusion wording on each quote, not only the premium.

Where life and funeral cover fit

Health, life and funeral insurance do different jobs. Health insurance pays towards treatment. Life insurance pays a lump sum on death. Funeral insurance pays a fixed benefit towards funeral costs. Our guide on life insurance and health insurance together explains how the two interact, and the funeral insurance cost guide covers what funerals cost.

If you are weighing small funeral cover, Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance accepts New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 with no health questions, for a benefit of $3,000 to $30,000. In the first 24 months it pays only for accidental death; any other death in that window pays no benefit and all premiums are refunded. Total premiums can end up larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral. Momentum's Quick Life takes applicants only up to 65, and excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide for its first 2 years. Neither Momentum product is a substitute for health insurance, and neither pays towards medical treatment. Momentum Life Limited holds an A.M. Best financial strength rating of B (Fair), a range its own scale calls "Vulnerable" (Momentum Life: Financial strength). See the funeral insurance hub and the guaranteed acceptance hub for how the options compare, and seniors' life insurance for the wider picture.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get health insurance at 70?

Consumer NZ obtained quotes for 70-year-olds from six insurers in 2025. Entry rules vary by insurer, and an existing condition may be excluded, so ask each insurer directly.

Is health insurance worth keeping after 60?

It depends on your savings, your health and your tolerance for waiting. It buys access to private care sooner; it does not replace the public system or ACC. See is health insurance worth it.

How can I keep the cost down and stay insured?

Raising the excess is the lever Consumer NZ points to. A lower plan or fewer modules at the same insurer can also cut cost. We do not name a lowest-priced insurer, because it changes with age, plan and excess.

Do I lose my exclusions if I switch?

You can gain new ones. A new insurer assesses you afresh, on your current age and health. Keep the old policy running until the new one is in force.

Does QuoteHub sell health insurance?

QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and neither of the two Momentum products on this site (Funeral Insurance and Quick Life) is health insurance. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). This page is general information, not personal advice. See how we are paid.

References

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