1 Introduction
1.1 This Privacy Statement sets out how Education Benevolent Society Incorporated (trading as HealthCarePlus) (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, stores and discloses the personal and health information of:
1.1.1 its subscribers, including, where applicable, family members in relation to a HealthCarePlus policy or service (each a “Subscriber”); and
1.1.2 other individuals for whom we are providing insurance and other services (“Other Persons”), (with each Subscriber or Other Person referred to in this Privacy Statement as “you” or “your”).
1.2 We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of the personal information:
1.2.1 of individuals (such as Subscribers and Other Persons) that we collect, use, store, and/or disclose, in accordance with the Information Privacy Principles of the Privacy Act 2020 (the “Privacy Act”); and
1.2.2 which includes “health information”, as defined in the Health Information Privacy Code 1994, (together, “Personal Information”).
1.3 We collect, hold, use, and disclose Personal Information of HealthCarePlus Subscribers and Other Persons, as outlined in this Privacy Statement.
1.4 By becoming, or applying to become, a HealthCarePlus Subscriber, applying to receive HealthCarePlus services, or otherwise providing Personal Information to us, you acknowledge that we will collect, use, store and disclose that Personal Information in accordance with the applicable laws and this policy.
2 Personal Information collected
2.1 The Personal Information we may collect includes, but is not limited to:
2.1.1 your name;
2.1.2 your age;
2.1.3 your date of birth;
2.1.4 your contact details;
2.1.5 your marital status;
2.1.6 your union membership status;
2.1.7 your medical history; and
2.1.8 your claims history.
2.2 We collect Personal Information for the purposes set out in clause 3 (Use of Personal Information) below.
3. Use of Personal Information
3.1 We collect Personal Information from you via our application and enrolment process as well as from our business partners, including but not limited to Union Medical Benefits Society Limited (“UniMed”), for the purpose of underwriting and the delivery of services.
3.2 By requesting an insurance quote, or by expressing interest in HealthCarePlus’s products or services, you acknowledge that we may use any Personal Information provided for the following purposes:
3.2.1 to verify your identity;
3.2.2 to consider your eligibility, and the eligibility of all persons applying, for a HealthCarePlus policy or service;
3.2.3 for administrative purposes, such as validating union membership;
3.2.4 to communicate with you;
3.2.5 for statistical and research purposes (on an anonymised basis); and
3.2.6 any other purpose authorised by you, or as may be permitted by law.
3.3 Upon becoming a HealthCarePlus Subscriber, you authorise us to, and acknowledge we may, collect and use your Personal Information for the following purposes:
3.3.1 to consider your eligibility and the eligibility of all persons applying for, or any claim or entitlement under, or in relation to, your HealthCarePlus policy, policies, or services;
3.3.2 for administrative purposes;
3.3.3 for statistical and research purposes (on an anonymised basis);
3.3.4 to contact you with information about products and services relating to HealthCarePlus;
3.3.5 to provide you with information about scholarships and grants available as a benefit of being a Subscriber;
3.3.6 to improve the services and products we provide;
3.3.7 to quote for new HealthCarePlus policies or services;
3.3.8 to assess underwriting;
3.3.9 to collect premiums and other amounts;
3.3.10 to investigate and review claims;
3.3.11 to prevent, detect and investigate fraud;
3.3.12 to communicate with you regarding your HealthCarePlus policies or services;
3.3.13 to protect and/or enforce our legal rights and interests;
3.3.14 any other purpose authorised by you; or
3.3.15 as otherwise permitted by law.
4 Disclosure of your Personal Information
4.1 We may disclose your Personal Information for the purposes that it was collected from you, as outlined above in clause 3. We may otherwise disclose your Personal Information in accordance with the Privacy Act.
4.2 We may disclose your Personal Information to our business partners and service providers, and other persons, for the purposes for which that Personal Information was collected.
4.3 The business partners, service providers, and other persons, to whom we may disclose your Personal Information include:
4.3.1 our Members (as defined in our publicly-available Rules filed with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment);
4.3.2 your spouse or partner (provided that they are an insured person on your HealthCarePlus policy);
4.3.3 individuals to whom you have granted authority to act on your behalf;
4.3.4 relevant health service providers of approved facilities;
4.3.5 any advisor associated with the HealthCarePlus policy or service;
4.3.6 relevant third party providers of other products and services where those third parties have a business relationship or other association with HealthCarePlus; and
4.3.7 any relevant underwriter, such as UniMed.
4.4 We may also disclose your Personal Information to relevant health service providers, health insurers, ACC and other Government Agencies or other relevant or related third parties, including for any lawful purpose in connection with any policy and where we are required to do so by law, court order, subpoena or other legal process, as requested by a governmental or law enforcement authority.
5 Storage of your Personal Information
5.1 The intended recipient of your Personal Information is HealthCarePlus. Your information will be held by HealthCarePlus, whose office is at 50 Manners Street, Wellington.
5.2 We will take reasonable steps to protect your Personal Information against unauthorised access or disclosure while it is held by us.
5.3 We may provide your Personal Information to third parties contracted by us in order to perform data storage and data processing services on our behalf. We will take reasonable steps to require these third parties to comply with our instructions and not use your Personal Information for any other purpose.
6 Accessing and correcting your Personal Information
6.1 You can request access to, and correction of, your Personal Information. To do so, please either lodge a request via the My HCP Portal or email HealthCarePlus; admin@healthcareplus.org.nz.
6.2 We may impose a reasonable charge for access and/or correction requests in accordance with the Privacy Act.
6.3 We will take reasonable steps to ensure that any information we collect or hold is accurate, complete, relevant, up to date, and not misleading. It is your responsibility to let us know if the Personal Information which we hold about you needs to be corrected or updated.
6.4 If the information provided to us is inaccurate or incomplete, it may lead to your claim being delayed or declined or Subscription voided. We may also be unable to provide you with certain benefits or services until we receive accurate and complete information from you and/or the other individuals included on your policy or service.
7 Changes
7.1 We may update this Privacy Statement from time to time. If we update this Privacy Statement, we will update the terms on our website. Your continued payment of the premiums and/or receipt of products and/or services from HealthCarePlus constitutes your acceptance of the Privacy Statement, as updated, and any Personal Information collected or held by us will be subject to the updated Privacy Statement.
8 Contacting us
8.1 If you have any questions about the privacy and security of your Personal Information, would like to access, correct, update or remove your Personal Information, or if you have any privacy concern or complaint, please contact us at admin@healthcareplus.org.nz.