Lower earners levies in return for reduced benefits has been put forward as an option in an Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) consultation document.
The document suggests motorists' levies could be reduced for those with good safety records and increased for younger drivers and those who are regularly ticketed.
It also suggests an option to pay a lower levy in return for reduced benefits.
These reduced benefits could include a 10 percent cut in compensation for lost income after a less serious injury and lower levies in return for a longer wait period for lost income compensation, from a week to perhaps three weeks.
It also suggested a discount for earners who did not make injury claims for a set time, while those who had a number of claims might be charged more.
Lower levies could also be charged if earners paid more of their own accident-related treatment costs.
The document also suggested levies being tailored to an individual's own injury risk. Examples it suggested included a higher levy for someone if they had more injuries due to a sport they played.
ACC minister Nick Smith told the Weekend Herald he would consider the proposals carefully before recommending any such changes.
The Government did not have immediate plans to open up ACC insurance to competition, with Dr Smith saying it would be "a very major decision and, consistent with the John Key pragmatism and cautiousness, we are not in any hurry".
An employee on the average wage of about $50,000 would under current rules pay about $990 a year to ACC through the earners' levy, $198.46 if they own a car and about $118 in the petrol levy, the Weekend Herald reported.
NZPA