NEWS & UPDATES
Changes To Medical Alarm Costs And Suppliers
19 Aug 2019
There are recent changes to medical alarm costs and suppliers for people getting Disability Allowance from August 19 2019.
Ministry of Social Development (MSD) funds the costs of medical alarm services to its eligible clients through their Disability Allowance. They have once again negotiated with medical alarm suppliers to make sure their clients continue getting a quality service at a competitive price.
There has been a small movement in costs for the existing suppliers, with the cost increasing for three of them, staying the same for one and decreasing for another. They have also added a new MSD-accredited supplier, Electra ltd (trading as Securely).
The changes to costs start from August 19 2019. To make sure clients stay safe as these changes take place, there’ll be no interruption to the client’s medical alarm service.
Changes to people’s payments
They will automatically adjust people’s payments for anyone with a change in cost. They are also writing to them about the change and what it means for them. The changes will be small.
The medical alarm suppliers are also writing to their clients to adjust how much they pay for the alarm service. Where MSD pays the supplier directly, they will adjust the amount for them.
The MSD-accredited suppliers of medical alarm services are:
- ADT Security 0800 111 238
- Chubb New Zealand 0800 203 040
- Securely 0800 865 865
- Freedom Medical Alarms 0800 380 280
- Red Wolf High Level Monitoring 0800 673 252
- St John Medical Alarms 0800 502 323
There’s more information about medical alarms on the Work and Income website.
Non-accredited suppliers
People who have their medical alarm provided by a non-MSD accredited supplier can still get the cost of the alarm covered by their Disability Allowance. If they choose to change to a different supplier, they’ll need to choose an MSD-accredited supplier. If you have any questions, please email: Medical_Alarm_Correspondence@msd.govt.nz
