#MadeInWollongong
Success Stories
Peoplecare
Tech and professional services
"Many reasons to stay in Wollongong, no reasons to leave. A small regional fund providing services to a global entity is certainly something to be proud of."
Louise Leaver, CEO at Peoplecare
Tell us a bit about Peoplecare.
Louise: Peoplecare is a national not-for-profit private health insurer within Australia. Our mission (or reason for being as we call it!) is to really have an impact on the health and well-being of our members and support them to proactively manage their own health. We are very blessed to be able to serve over 36,000 members or policies.
How has Peoplecare evolved from a local to a national health fund?
Louise: Peoplecare is very deeply rooted in the Illawarra, having started as a small hospital fund out of the steelworks. It slowly grew over time and expanded coverage to several different areas, including coverage of BHP here in Wollongong, and then also what became Bluescope Steel. In 2006, a decision was made to become an open insurer, meaning we can insure anybody across Australia. So we’re now truly a national health fund.
Is it true that Peoplecare, a regional fund, is backing an international entity?
Louise: Peoplecare, in our own right, is a private health insurer, which is one part of our business. But we also provide services to other health insurers, to operate those insurers on behalf of their boards.
We currently provide services for overseas students and visitors for one of the global insurers, through Allianz Partners – AWP Australia Pty Ltd. So a small regional fund in Wollongong providing services to a global entity is certainly something to be proud of.
Why has Peoplecare chosen to stay in Wollongong with all that growth?
Louise: There are so many reasons to stay in Wollongong, no reasons to leave. Dharawal Country is such a beautiful place to be, with the sea and the mountains bounding this perfect location.
We have lots of employees who have grown up here and are committed to staying. And for the others that we draw into the region, they don’t want to leave. We have a committed workforce and a size and scale within the region that gives us what we need, with proximity to Sydney for the things we don’t have. It’s a perfect location to run a national business.
What makes Peoplecare’s culture and team stand out?
Louise: Peoplecare has always had people, and particularly its members, at its heart. That’s our entire reason for being and our employees are specifically recruited to have care and empathy at heart. We have an advocacy team who make outbound calls to members going through particularly challenging health circumstances. They help guide and navigate our members through really stressful times. It’s really overwhelming going through a hospital system and navigating significant illness or end-of-life care. To have an insurer you can call and receive calm, empathetic, one-on-one support is a really amazing gift we can give our members.
How is Peoplecare navigating the challenges in the health insurance sector?
Louise: The health insurance system is incredibly complex, with many stakeholders and regulators at both state and federal levels. We’re all navigating changes in customer behaviour, technology, and affordability pressures that are shifting how people engage with healthcare.
At Peoplecare, we’ve focused on restoring our membership base and rebuilding strong foundations so we can keep serving our members in a sustainable way. I’m proud to say we’ve now surpassed our previous membership high from 2018. But what I’m most proud of is the daily interactions our Peoplecarers have with members the way they show up with empathy, adapt to change, and make a real difference in people’s lives every single day.
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Louise Leaver, CEO at Peoplecare
Tell us a bit about Peoplecare.
Louise: Peoplecare is a national not-for-profit private health insurer within Australia. Our mission (or reason for being as we call it!) is to really have an impact on the health and well-being of our members and support them to proactively manage their own health. We are very blessed to be able to serve over 36,000 members or policies.
How has Peoplecare evolved from a local to a national health fund?
Louise: Peoplecare is very deeply rooted in the Illawarra, having started as a small hospital fund out of the steelworks. It slowly grew over time and expanded coverage to several different areas, including coverage of BHP here in Wollongong, and then also what became Bluescope Steel. In 2006, a decision was made to become an open insurer, meaning we can insure anybody across Australia. So we’re now truly a national health fund.
Is it true that Peoplecare, a regional fund, is backing an international entity?
Louise: Peoplecare, in our own right, is a private health insurer, which is one part of our business. But we also provide services to other health insurers, to operate those insurers on behalf of their boards.
We currently provide services for overseas students and visitors for one of the global insurers, through Allianz Partners – AWP Australia Pty Ltd. So a small regional fund in Wollongong providing services to a global entity is certainly something to be proud of.
Why has Peoplecare chosen to stay in Wollongong with all that growth?
Louise: There are so many reasons to stay in Wollongong, no reasons to leave. Dharawal Country is such a beautiful place to be, with the sea and the mountains bounding this perfect location.
We have lots of employees who have grown up here and are committed to staying. And for the others that we draw into the region, they don’t want to leave. We have a committed workforce and a size and scale within the region that gives us what we need, with proximity to Sydney for the things we don’t have. It’s a perfect location to run a national business.
What makes Peoplecare’s culture and team stand out?
Louise: Peoplecare has always had people, and particularly its members, at its heart. That’s our entire reason for being and our employees are specifically recruited to have care and empathy at heart. We have an advocacy team who make outbound calls to members going through particularly challenging health circumstances. They help guide and navigate our members through really stressful times. It’s really overwhelming going through a hospital system and navigating significant illness or end-of-life care. To have an insurer you can call and receive calm, empathetic, one-on-one support is a really amazing gift we can give our members.
How is Peoplecare navigating the challenges in the health insurance sector?
Louise: The health insurance system is incredibly complex, with many stakeholders and regulators at both state and federal levels. We’re all navigating changes in customer behaviour, technology, and affordability pressures that are shifting how people engage with healthcare.
At Peoplecare, we’ve focused on restoring our membership base and rebuilding strong foundations so we can keep serving our members in a sustainable way. I’m proud to say we’ve now surpassed our previous membership high from 2018. But what I’m most proud of is the daily interactions our Peoplecarers have with members the way they show up with empathy, adapt to change, and make a real difference in people’s lives every single day.