We have a public health system in NZ, i.e. free healthcare. We also have private health insurance, 30-40 percent of the population take that up. When you go p

We have a public health system in NZ, i.e. free healthcare. We also have private health insurance, 30-40 percent of the population take that up. When you go public you will need to wait in a longer line, you won't get the flowers next to your bed and you might need to ring for a bit longer for a nurse to come, but you'll often be seeing the same doctor you would have seen going private. Last time I was in hospital the only paperwork was the admission form, and then telling the desk people my insurance number as I left.