UniMed SmartCare Review NZ
SmartCare is UniMed's (formerly Accuro's) entry-tier hospital and surgical base plan, covering general surgery to $300,000 and private hospital medical admission, including chemotherapy and radiation, to $200,000 a policy year, with non-surgical cancer treatment sub-capped at $65,000 within that limit. Additional modules for GP, specialist, dental and optical, and natural health cover can be added on top.
Key facts
- General surgery (incl. CT/MRI tests)
- $300,000 for each person in a policy year, excess applies (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Oral surgery
- $300,000 for each person in a policy year, excess applies (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Private hospital medical admission
- $200,000 for each person in a policy year, including chemotherapy and radiation treatment capped at $65,000 within that limit, excess applies (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Prophylactic surgery
- $60,000 for each person, excess applies (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Bereavement grant
- $2,500 for each person, no excess applies (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Underwriting
- Fully underwritten at application; pre-existing conditions must be disclosed and are individually assessed (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Excess
- Excess options are available per person per policy year; specific dollar amounts are set at application and shown on the policy certificate, not published as a fixed public ladder (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Additional modules
- GP, Specialist, Dental and Optical, and Natural Health modules can each be added for any covered person (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Distribution
- Sold direct and through advisers as UniMed (formerly Accuro) (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
SmartCare's chemotherapy sub-limit inside the $200,000 hospital medical admission benefit is the figure worth reading twice, and the table below is UniMed's own current SmartCare policy document (Sept 2025, retrieved 8 September 2026).
| Benefit | Limit |
|---|---|
| General surgery | $300,000 for each person in a policy year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Oral surgery | $300,000 for each person in a policy year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Private hospital medical admission | $200,000 for each person in a policy year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Chemotherapy and radiation, within medical admission | Capped at $65,000 for each person in a policy year (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Chemotherapy for cancer (base) | $48,000 each claims year, including $8,000 for non-Pharmac Medsafe-indicated drugs (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Prophylactic surgery | $60,000 for each person, lifetime (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Bereavement grant | $2,500 for each person (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
| Spinal surgery | $200,000 for each person, lifetime (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
Entry ages
| Cover | Entry ages |
|---|---|
| SmartCare | UniMed's public plan document does not publish a single entry-age table; the base plan is available to New Zealand citizens, residents, or people entitled to public healthcare funding. (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
Waiting periods
| Cover | Waiting period |
|---|---|
| SmartCare | Not published as a fixed universal waiting period (source, retrieved 8 September 2026) |
Exclusions
- Pre-existing conditions must be disclosed at application; UniMed may decline cover for a pre-existing condition or add a personal exclusion to the policy certificate lasting from 1 year to life. (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- Non-Pharmac subsidised drugs are not covered under SmartCare's base plan (available on SmartCare+ only). (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
- The full general exclusions list, including cosmetic treatment and conditions arising from accidents covered by ACC, sits in the SmartCare Health Plan document, not in this summary. (source, retrieved 8 September 2026)
Questions about UniMed SmartCare
What's the best health insurance in NZ?
There is no independent body that ranks a single best health insurer in New Zealand. SmartCare is one of UniMed's mid-tier hospital plans; whether it or a Southern Cross or nib plan suits you better depends on your health history, budget and whether you want a shared-cost or fully-paid structure.
What are the top 3 health insurances?
Southern Cross, nib and UniMed are New Zealand's three largest dedicated health insurers by membership; no independent authority formally ranks them, so 'top 3' generally refers to market size, not proven quality.
Is Accuro now UniMed?
Yes. Accuro rebranded to UniMed; existing Accuro policies, including SmartCare, continue on their original terms, and the SmartCare Health Plan document itself still shows references to Accuro during the transition (SmartCare Health Plan document, retrieved 8 September 2026).
What does SmartCare cover?
SmartCare's Hospital and Surgical base plan covers general surgery to $300,000, oral surgery to $300,000, and private hospital medical admission (including chemotherapy and radiation, capped at $65,000 within that limit) to $200,000, each per person per policy year (SmartCare Health Plan document, retrieved 8 September 2026).
How does the SmartCare excess work?
UniMed gives an example: with a $1,000 excess and a $150,000 approved surgery within the $300,000 General Surgery benefit, the member pays the $1,000 excess once and UniMed pays the remaining $149,000; a second approved surgery in the same policy year has no further excess (UniMed SmartCare & SmartCare+ page, retrieved 8 September 2026).
What is the difference between SmartCare and SmartCare+?
SmartCare+ covers $500,000 of general surgery against SmartCare's $300,000, $300,000 of hospital medical admission (with no separate chemotherapy sub-limit) against SmartCare's $200,000/$65,000 split, and adds non-Pharmac drug cover that SmartCare does not have (SmartCare and SmartCare+ Health Plan documents, retrieved 8 September 2026).
Does SmartCare cover non-Pharmac drugs?
No. Non-Pharmac subsidised drug cover is a SmartCare+ benefit only; SmartCare's base plan does not include it (UniMed SmartCare & SmartCare+ page, retrieved 8 September 2026).
Can you have two health insurances in NZ?
Yes, there is no legal restriction, but insurers, including UniMed, generally only pay eligible charges once and ask about other cover held; holding two overlapping policies rarely adds real value.
What is better, Bupa or nib?
Bupa does not sell health insurance in New Zealand, so this is not a live comparison; UniMed competes with Southern Cross and nib in the New Zealand market, and SmartCare sits in a similar tier to nib's Standard Hospital plan.
What additional modules can I add to SmartCare?
GP, Specialist, Dental and Optical, and Natural Health modules can each be added for any person on the policy, independently of the others, to extend cover beyond the Hospital and Surgical base plan (SmartCare Health Plan document, retrieved 8 September 2026).
Adviser's view
QuoteHub reads four differences as carrying real weight between SmartCare and SmartCare+, and the rest as noise: the surgical cover gap, the chemotherapy sub-limit that makes SmartCare materially thinner in a cancer year, non-Pharmac drug cover, and the bereavement grant. Everything else in the two plans lines up closely enough that the premium difference should be judged against those four alone.
Documents
- SmartCare Health Plan document (September 2025), retrieved 8 September 2026
Compare health cover with a licensed NZ adviser · free, no obligation.
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). UniMed SmartCare Review NZ: Benefits and Limits 2026. www.quotehub.co.nz/health-insurance/unimed/smartcare. Updated 2026-09-08.
Explore related pages: Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Trauma Insurance, Compare Insurance NZ.