Southern Cross UltraCare Review NZ
UltraCare is Southern Cross's most comprehensive individual plan and the only one covering everyday GP visits, physiotherapy and prescriptions alongside surgery, cancer treatment, specialist consultations and imaging, with no equivalent of the Wellbeing One six-month restriction. UltraCare 400 adds the same cover plus prescription glasses, contact lenses and dental services.
Key facts
- Surgical procedures
- Unlimited (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Radiotherapy
- Unlimited (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Chemotherapy for cancer (base)
- $60,000 each claims year, including up to $10,000 for chemotherapy drugs not Pharmac-approved but Medsafe-indicated (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Cancer Cover Plus upgrades
- Optional Chemotherapy 100 ($100,000/yr) or Chemotherapy 300 ($300,000/yr), each with no limit on the share used for non-Pharmac Medsafe-indicated drugs; only available if everyone on the policy is under 60 (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Diagnostic imaging
- $100,000 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Specialist consultations
- $10,000 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- General practitioner visits
- $100 for each visit (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Prescriptions
- $600 each claims year; excludes drugs not Pharmac-approved (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Prescription glasses, sunglasses and contact lenses
- UltraCare base: no cover. UltraCare 400: $500 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Dental services
- UltraCare base: no cover. UltraCare 400: $750 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Effective date of the current benefit summary
- 1 April 2026 (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
UltraCare's surgical and radiotherapy cover is unlimited, and the table below is Southern Cross's own current benefit summary for the plan's biggest-ticket items (UltraCare and UltraCare 400 Benefit summary, effective 1 April 2026, retrieved 8 September 2026).
| Benefit | Limit |
|---|---|
| Surgical procedures | Unlimited (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Radiotherapy | Unlimited (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Chemotherapy for cancer (base) | $60,000 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Diagnostic imaging | $100,000 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Cardiac tests | $5,000 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Specialist consultations | $10,000 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Psychiatric hospitalisation | $3,500 each claims year, sub-limits apply (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Overseas treatment allowance | $30,000 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
The day-to-day and vision and dental benefits are what genuinely separates UltraCare from a Wellbeing plan, and they are where UltraCare 400 differs from UltraCare base (UltraCare and UltraCare 400 Benefit summary, retrieved 8 September 2026).
| Benefit | UltraCare base | UltraCare 400 |
|---|---|---|
| General practitioner services | $100 for each visit (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) | $100 for each visit (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Physiotherapy | $60 a visit, to $300 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) | $60 a visit, to $300 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Prescriptions | $600 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) | $600 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Prescription glasses, sunglasses and contact lenses | No cover (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) | $500 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Dental services | No cover (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) | $750 each claims year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
Entry ages
| Cover | Entry ages |
|---|---|
| UltraCare and UltraCare 400 | Southern Cross does not publish a single entry-age table for UltraCare in the material available publicly; eligibility is assessed at application. (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
Waiting periods
| Cover | Waiting period |
|---|---|
| UltraCare and UltraCare 400 | No fixed universal waiting period is published (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
Exclusions
- Pre-existing conditions are not covered unless the membership certificate states otherwise. (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Cancer Cover Plus upgrades exclude cover for cancers the policyholder or a dependant has a documented family history of, and are only available for purchase while everyone on the policy is under 60. (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Cosmetic treatments and procedures that change, improve or enhance appearance are excluded regardless of the reason given. (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Southern Cross has not published the full UltraCare exclusions list outside the policy document itself; the benefit summary is not the contract. Read the current UltraCare policy document, not the sales summary, before relying on any exclusion. (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
Questions about Southern Cross UltraCare
What does the UltraCare policy offer?
UltraCare covers cancer treatment, surgical treatment, specialist consultations, diagnostic imaging, tests and day-to-day treatment such as GP visits and prescriptions; UltraCare 400 adds prescription glasses, contact lenses and dental services on top (UltraCare and UltraCare 400 Benefit summary, retrieved 8 September 2026).
What is the 6-month rule for Southern Cross health insurance?
The six-month rule applies to Southern Cross's Wellbeing One plan, not UltraCare: it confines specialist consultations, imaging and tests to within six months of eligible surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. UltraCare carries no equivalent restriction on those services.
Does Southern Cross cover pre-existing conditions?
Not automatically. A pre-existing condition is excluded from an UltraCare policy unless it is specifically stated as covered on the membership certificate; Southern Cross assesses each pre-existing condition individually at application rather than applying a universal waiting period (UltraCare policy document, retrieved 8 September 2026).
What is the best medical insurance for senior citizens?
Southern Cross, nib and UniMed all sell cover to older members, but premiums generally rise with age and new applications can face tighter underwriting later in life. There is no single named 'best' policy for seniors; compare UltraCare, nib's Ultimate Health range and UniMed's SmartCare range against your own health history and budget.
How does UltraCare differ from the Wellbeing plans?
Wellbeing One and Two are hospital-and-specialist cover with GP visits capped low or excluded; UltraCare also covers everyday GP visits, physiotherapy and prescriptions as part of the base plan, at a correspondingly higher premium, because an insurer that pays for routine care every year has to price for it every year.
What does UltraCare 400 add over UltraCare base?
Prescription glasses, prescription sunglasses and contact lenses up to $500 each claims year, and dental services up to $750 each claims year. Nothing else changes between the two plans (UltraCare and UltraCare 400 Benefit summary, retrieved 8 September 2026).
Is UltraCare worth it compared to KiwiCare or RegularCare?
It depends what you are insuring against. UltraCare pays 100% of eligible costs up to unlimited surgical cover with day-to-day benefits included; KiwiCare and RegularCare are shared-cost plans that pay 80% with a $500 excess and lower limits, at a correspondingly lower premium.
Does UltraCare have a surgical cover limit?
No. Southern Cross's own benefit summary lists the Surgical procedures benefit as unlimited on both UltraCare and UltraCare 400, as is the Radiotherapy benefit (UltraCare and UltraCare 400 Benefit summary, effective 1 April 2026, retrieved 8 September 2026).
What is not covered by UltraCare?
Cosmetic procedures, pre-existing conditions unless stated on the membership certificate, and (on UltraCare base only) prescription glasses and dental services are not covered. The full exclusions list sits in the current UltraCare policy document, not the sales brochure.
How much is Southern Cross medical insurance?
Southern Cross prices UltraCare on age, sex, location, excess and health history at application, so there is no single published monthly figure; a quote from Southern Cross or an adviser is the only reliable way to see a premium for your own circumstances.
What is the cheapest but good health insurance?
Among Southern Cross's own range, KiwiCare and RegularCare are the lower-cost, shared-cost alternative to UltraCare, trading a $500 excess and an 80% co-payment on surgery for a lower premium; whether that is 'good enough' depends on how much of a claim you can comfortably self-fund.
Adviser's view
The question QuoteHub puts to clients is not which Southern Cross plan is best. It is which risk you are insuring: catastrophic risk only points to a Wellbeing plan with a high excess, catastrophic risk plus predictable everyday costs points to UltraCare, and the lowest possible premium points to KiwiCare or RegularCare, understood as carrying more of every claim.
Documents
- UltraCare and UltraCare 400 Benefit summary (effective 1 April 2026), retrieved 8 September 2026
- UltraCare Policy document (effective from 1 April 2026), retrieved 8 September 2026
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Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.
Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Southern Cross UltraCare Review NZ: Benefits and Limits. www.quotehub.co.nz/health-insurance/southern-cross/ultracare. Updated 2026-09-08.
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