Privacy statement

What is personal and health information?

Personal information is information about an identified individual, or information that reasonably identifies an individual.

For example, this might include:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Relationship and family (whānau) status
• Employment details
• Contact details

Health information is information such as medical history, information about any physical, mental or medical condition, or information about any health services provided (including information which is collected before or in the course of, and incidental to, the provision of any health service).

For example, this might include:

• Details about any previous injury or illness
• Reports from medical specialists seen
• Records relating to any previous medical treatment

Why UniMed collects information and how we use it

UniMed collects personal and health information in order to: 

• Establish your identity and the identity of any family (whānau) members included in your health plan.
• Consider your eligibility for health insurance cover with UniMed.
• Provide you with quotes and determine premiums.
• Consider the specific terms applying to a health plan (including any pre-existing conditions).
• Administer and manage our products and services (including your health plan and membership with UniMed).
• Determine whether you are eligible for any benefit under a health plan.
• Process and pay claims.
• Assess whether you disclosed all relevant information at the time of your application for membership.
• Assess, review and respond to any enquiry or request made by you or on your behalf (including to cancel, transfer or change your health plan, or any other product or services you receive).
• Prevent, detect, and investigate any instances of fraud.

We may also use your personal and health information to:

• Tell you about new or existing products/services we think may be of interest to you.
• Conduct analysis and research relating to current or proposed UniMed products and services.
• Design, price and improve products and services.
• Invite you to access wellbeing products and services through our trusted partners.
• Contact you (including within a reasonable time of you ceasing to be covered by the health plan, or after a quote or application is not proceeded with), for marketing or survey purposes.
• Manage payments.
• Assist with statistical or factual data.
• Carry out internal business and administrative needs.
• Meet our legal and regulatory obligations.

We may also collect, use and disclose your personal information for other purposes, as permitted by law or as authorised by you.

How UniMed collects personal and health information

From You
When possible, we collect personal and health information directly from you; when you apply to become a member of UniMed, request a quote, submit or enquire about a claim or benefit, change or enquire about your policy, or when you use the UniMed Member Portal. 

From Third Parties
There may be times when UniMed collects information from third parties.  We do this when you have provided your consent, or when it is not reasonable or practicable to collect the information from you directly. 

We may collect personal or health information about you from any person covered under your health plan.  Note: Primary Members also have access to all the information on the health plan, including those of their partner and any dependants also covered on the health plan.

Other ways we might collect your personal and health information include, from:

• Your employer, if you are eligible for cover with UniMed under a workplace scheme.
• An intermediary or broker acting on your behalf.
• Your General Practitioner (GP), a treating hospital or other health service provider.
• Our trusted business partners.
• Any person you have authorised to provide information on your behalf.
• Any other party, in accordance with law.
  
  

Phone recordings
Inbound and outgoing phone calls to UniMed, including its Relationship Managers, are recorded for quality and assurance purposes.

Types of information UniMed can collect

We only collect and use personal and health information that is necessary for, or reasonably related to, the purposes set out in this Privacy Statement.

This information may include (but is not limited to):

• Name, date of birth, gender at birth.
• Contact information (e.g. phone number/s, physical and postal address, email address).
• Residency status.
• Family (whānau) and relationship status.
• Current or past health insurance coverage, including level of cover and claims made.
• Health and medical information, including pre-existing information.
• Employment details (where the policy is connected to a workplace scheme).
• Payment details and history.

This information extends to all family (whānau) members included in your health plan.

When UniMed may disclose your information and to whom

UniMed may occasionally disclose information held about you, to related parties and relevant third parties.  When we do this, we ensure we comply with the limits of disclosure under the Privacy Act 2020, and Health Information Privacy Code 2020.

Related Party Disclosure

• To the primary Member / health plan owner.
• To other individuals named on the health plan.
• Any person you have granted authority to receive information or to act on your behalf.
• Any person who is acting on your behalf in accordance with law.

Third Party Disclosure
Relevant third parties might include:

• A treating hospital or other health service provider.
• An intermediary associated with your health plan.
• Your employer if you are eligible under a workplace scheme (excludes the disclosure of health information)
• Our trusted business partners.
• Our regulators, including the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and the Financial Markets Authority.
• Our external dispute resolution provider: the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO) - if you have requested their involvement in resolving a complaint about UniMed.
• Any other party, in accordance with law.

We may also disclose your information to any specified third party, if you have given us your consent to do so. 

What happens if you do not provide your information?

Your health and wellbeing are our priority, so it’s important that you provide accurate, complete information.

Please also let UniMed know if your information changes, so we can continue to provide you with the health and wellbeing cover you need, and update you on any changes to your health plan.

Inaccurate or incomplete information
This may result in UniMed being unable to contact you, process your application, administer your policy, accept a claim, or provide our services to you.

False or misleading information
This may result in UniMed (to the extent permitted by law) refusing your claims, reducing the value of your claim, amending the terms of your health plan (this may include retrospective amendments) or cancelling your health plan (and in the most serious of circumstances, not returning any premium/s).

How UniMed protects your information 

UniMed is owned by our Members, so we keep them at the heart of our decisions. This includes how to protect Members’ privacy and information.  

We take reasonable steps to ensure the privacy and security of your personal and health information against loss, unauthorised access, use, interference, modification or disclosure, or any other misuse.

UniMed has a range of safeguards, technology, and physical procedures, to provide a robust security environment for all our information and data.

Please be aware that we may use third party data storage providers and servers (both within and outside of New Zealand) to store personal information.  We take reasonable steps to ensure that these third parties have adequate processes and controls to protect this information

UniMed retains personal and health information only for as long as it is required for lawful purposes.  We also take reasonable steps to ensure that personal and health information is securely destroyed when we no longer require it.

To make sure your information is managed securely, UniMed complies with the personal and health information obligations under the Privacy Act 2020, Health Information Privacy Code 2020, and the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013.

How to access, check and correct your information

You have the right to ask for a copy of any personal and health information that we hold about you. We take reasonable steps to ensure the personal and health information we hold about you is correct.

If you think that any information we hold about you is incorrect, you have the right to request a correction of this information.

We will respond to any request for access to, or correction of information, in accordance with our obligations under the Privacy Act 2020, and Health Information Privacy Code 2020.

Changing your Contact Details

Please notify us of any changes to your contact details as soon as possible, so we can ensure the information we hold about you is current, complete, and that we send correspondence to the correct email and/or postal address.

Please call 0800 600 666 / 03 365 4048 (8am - 5pm, Monday - Friday).
Or email feedback@unimed.co.nz

Privacy Complaints Process

UniMed will take any privacy complaint we receive, seriously. We will acknowledge the receipt of a complaint and work with you to resolve it.

We encourage complaints to be made in writing (by email or letter) but if preferred, you can call UniMed. It would be helpful to also provide us with any information or documentation that supports your complaint.

You can request a copy of the Complaint Process information to be emailed or posted to you. 

For more information and contact details, please see the Complaint Process page in our website.

How to find out more about your privacy rights

For further information about privacy and the protection of privacy, visit the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s website.

Changes to this Privacy Statement

UniMed reserves the right to change this Privacy Statement. It was last updated in November 2022.

Questions or concerns? 

For more information about this Privacy Statement, your information or privacy rights, you can contact the UniMed Privacy Officer: Call 0800 600 666 / 03 365 4048 or email feedback@unimed.co.nz

You can also visit our Christchurch office: Level 3, 165 Gloucester Street, Christchurch. 
(Office hours: Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm).