There’s no doubt you’ll be wanting to do everything possible to get the best treatment possible and kick cancer’s butt. But not all cancer treatment is equal. And despite New Zealand’s solid healthcare system, you can’t be sure you’ll get all the care you need when you need it most.

These two very real case studies highlight the different levels of treatment.

Case study A:

A newly diagnosed cancer sufferer receives a letter from their DHB it says… (verbatim).

“You have been referred to the Radiation Oncology Service for an appointment. We wish to see all patients as quickly as possible but there is often a wait list due to the number of referrals we receive. Your referral has been triaged according to Ministry of Health guidelines and these recommend that you should be seen within 4 weeks. At this time our estimated wait time to see you is 10 weeks.”

Case study B:

After being diagnosed with bowel cancer following a home screening test provided by their private health insurer, this patient was immediately booked in to have a colonoscopy, which confirmed that they had bowel cancer. The same day they had a CT scan to make sure cancer hadn’t spread. The next day they visited a surgeon who operated six days later. Turns out they were asymptomatic, and fortunately it appears that cancer hasn’t spread from their bowel as it has been caught early thanks to the screening test. So the prognosis is good, and it looks like, at this stage, chemotherapy and radiotherapy aren’t required.

The difference between the two scenarios

Private healthcare insurance is the only way to get the treatment you want, when you want, where you want.

While patient A spent 10 weeks sitting and waiting for a treatment plan to even start (and potentially having cancer cells growing by the day), patient B had their treatment sorted and could put the whole distressing illness behind them. Imagine the 10 weeks of worry and uncertainty that patient A had to deal with. Such stress is the last thing you need to deal with if you’re trying to beat the big C – or any other serious illness for that matter.

With private healthcare insurance, you can focus on putting your health first – and push your worries out the window. Talk to your Prosper adviser today.