Posted by alexandra_k on February 20, 2015, at 21:53:15
In reply to Re: No more physics!, posted by alexandra_k on February 20, 2015, at 20:59:53
and so... we have this Accident Compensation Company or Corporation or whatever it is (ACC)... And employers pay a levy into it... And if you have an 'accident' at work or during recreational activity... Instead of suing someone for damages... ACC covers medical costs / loss of income. To help us be less litigious... Or something...
And so...
If I was drunk and decided I wanted to walk along the overbridge railing just to, you know, have a little R&R... And then I fell... Then ACC would have covered me. Or if I was high... And thought I could fly...
I keep thinking of 'a land before time'... 'did I fly??????'. 'noooo. you falled'.
Whereas... Freaking the f*ck out and jumping... 'Jumping' never used to be considered 'recreation'. Or... Suicide attempts.. Were thought to have some kind of 'intent' such that they weren't an 'accident' (even though nobody in their right mind would surely have intended the extent of anything serious enough to need a claim???)
Anyway...
Point being... ACC was denied for my accident / jumping / flying thing.
They have subsequently changed the ruling... It is retrospective... Or active... Or whatever...
Apparently... The most significant ACC claim costs occur in the 1 year after injury. It is about limiting ACC costs in that first year. So... ACC didn't give me a wheelchair - the district health board (hospital) did. ACC didn't give me crutches - the district health board (hospital) did. I didn't get to go private on physio... I had to go back to the hospital to see the hospital (district health board) physio...
I thought denying my ACC claim was about them trying to limit costs LATER in life... Because they predict I'll be in a wheelchair... But turns out that it isn't so much about that... As it is about limiting costs (or redistributing costs, actually) in that first year. Actually... Limiting.... ACC would (maybe) have given me a MOTORIZED wheelchair etc...
Anyway... My point is that ACC has... Subsequently been approved. Which means... Something something about my actually being able to go private now. Because something something about ACC... Seeming to actually be... Some sort of kind of weird-ish proxy for having private health insurance.
About 1/3 of NZers have private health insurance. This surprises me... I didn't quite get why... Apparently it is because it allows you to CHOOSE your specialist... Instead of going through the hospital / seeing whoever is rostered on there... So... You and / or your GP can do a little research.. Maybe find someone who ACTUALLY specialises in whatever is wrong with you...
And they probably work (some of the time) in the hospital, anyway... But you want to ensure you get THAT ONE. I think... Maybe.... That is the point.
You get some choice in time of operations.. And you get to choose who.
That's a pretty big deal. Given that you have to trust some bastard, and all...
poster:alexandra_k
thread:1076818
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20150214/msgs/1076954.html