Co-payment decision wasn’t made lightly, nib CEO says

nib NZ chief executive Skye Daniels has defended the controversial introduction of co-payments, and says the decision wasn’t made lightly.

Responding to an enquiry from Good Returns, Daniels says move was necessary to address unprecedented claims inflation that could no longer be managed through premium increases alone.

"We know that increasing premiums every year can't be the only approach to tackling the challenge of prolonged and unprecedented claims inflation," Daniels said.

She noted that claims inflation and utilisation had been steady in the single digits for many years, but began rising sharply around two years ago - a shift affecting all health insurers.