This isn't new. ACC has been in trouble for years.
Last year, 1.6 million of us managed to do something to ourselves which involved money - $4.5 billion dollars worth. That's just on rehab.
The total is $7 billion paid out.
It's an astonishing amount of money - and the problem is what we pay in doesn’t cover what goes out.
ACC run a scheme whereby money is invested in the hope the returns offset the bills.
I personally pay thousands a year and have done for decades. To this day I have never claimed a cent.
The original idea was a no-faults scheme, as opposed to a U.S style scheme where we lay blame and get lawyers.
16,000 people did something to themselves in the garden last year and claimed millions.
Previously physio has been the issue. When does physio stop? Who knows, but let's have another three sessions while we decide.
Go to any doctor with anything that hurts and the first thing they do is start tapping away on the ACC claim.
Like most of these altruistic ideas somewhere along the way we lost the plot.
It might be that we need to tidy this up. Foolishly perhaps, I have always seen ACC as work related. If you injure yourself and can't work, this is its value.
Not if you cut your finger pruning hydrangeas.
We had a family member who was off work for months, I think too many months. They wouldn’t let him back even though he wanted to go back. But they kept saying "oh, just in case".
I wonder if there is too much "just in case".
The risk payments work to a degree. 40 percent of payouts are in construction, manufacturing, agriculture and fishing. I pay as a journalist, even though I'm not a journalist, but they can't work out what I am or how to charge me.
Part of a journalist's risk is being in a war zone. I can tell you journalists generally in New Zealand don’t go to war zones.
Anyway, 1.6 million people with two million claims and all up it cost $7 billion.
In barely over two years basically every single one of us makes a claim.
That's not right, it's not normal and it's why they can't pay their way.
The system doesn’t work.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
ACC run a scheme whereby money is invested in the hope the returns offset the bills.
I personally pay thousands a year and have done for decades. To this day I have never claimed a cent.
The original idea was a no-faults scheme, as opposed to a U.S style scheme where we lay blame and get lawyers.
16,000 people did something to themselves in the garden last year and claimed millions.
Previously physio has been the issue. When does physio stop? Who knows, but let's have another three sessions while we decide.
Go to any doctor with anything that hurts and the first thing they do is start tapping away on the ACC claim.
Like most of these altruistic ideas somewhere along the way we lost the plot.
It might be that we need to tidy this up. Foolishly perhaps, I have always seen ACC as work related. If you injure yourself and can't work, this is its value.
Not if you cut your finger pruning hydrangeas.
We had a family member who was off work for months, I think too many months. They wouldn’t let him back even though he wanted to go back. But they kept saying "oh, just in case".
I wonder if there is too much "just in case".
The risk payments work to a degree. 40 percent of payouts are in construction, manufacturing, agriculture and fishing. I pay as a journalist, even though I'm not a journalist, but they can't work out what I am or how to charge me.
Part of a journalist's risk is being in a war zone. I can tell you journalists generally in New Zealand don’t go to war zones.
Anyway, 1.6 million people with two million claims and all up it cost $7 billion.
In barely over two years basically every single one of us makes a claim.
That's not right, it's not normal and it's why they can't pay their way.
The system doesn’t work.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
5 comments:
Apparently motorcycles are dangerous and needed a levy hike. Go figure, only a small proportion of motorcycle accidents are from the road riding bikes, the ones that pay a levy!!
No levies on farm/river/beach etc riding accidents.
"no fault system' that also spends swags on tourists that don't need any insurance!!!!!
Another unsustainable system.
Working people / employer pay ACC levies
Self employed pay ACC levies
Non working, unemployed, sickness beneficiaries, beneficiaries in general, children pay nothing and other than an income claim get all the benefits
Perhaps give back bonuses to people who haven't claimed for 5+ years. That could be an incentive to not claim for minor injuries.
If Mike continues to express sceptism of the Labour/Te Pati approach he wil likely find his journalist rate contribution utilised. Utu is very much part of tikanga/te ao.
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