ACC - NZ

Crumble Froo

am i entitled to this?! ive zero travel insurance, zero anything else... 2 part time jobs, but i dont remember any mention of ACC on the contracts or anything...

ehh, basically, fecked my shoulder up while surfing last week ago, rested it till sunday, went out for 2hrs, just put up with the pain (i was catching some nice waves >_> ) and am seriously regretting it now. need to go to physio... rang up a reputable one who a mate and a few of his mates have been to for surf/skating injuries. $70 the first one, $40 after... that's pretty steep. heh, im paying in and around that amount in rent ffs.

i just assumed that im not eligible for ACC. being a fardinner and stuff.

but... this would imply that i am.

am i?!

cos that would just be all sorts of relieving awesomeness.

MrCreosote

Just found this site. It's great!
To answer your question-y ou'd be covered by ACC alright. Any accidents in NZ are covered, regardless of whether it's NZ citizen, resident or tourist. They fund the treatment in NZ. Mention to the physio it's an accident and the prices should drop. There's usually a small charge still though (even if it is ACC), but it varies from physio to physio so it's worth shopping around.
And some people might tell you you'd need a GP to do the initial paperwork. That's not the case anymore, physios etc can do all that.
Hope that helps

Crumble Froo

thanks for that!

yeah, was talking to my boss this morning, and im covered!

made an appointment with a physio today and asked specifically, explaining the details and she said it'd be free, cos it's covered by ACC!

greatest country ever?

i think so :P

watna

Even tourists/visitors to NZ are covered by ACC - it's one of the things they're talking about getting rid of because ACC is in so much trouble.

I'll tell you something - being on a visa in NZ is hard sometimes - there's lots of things you're not entitled to (which is fair enough really) but it really annoyed my when I was on my WHV that I had to pay privately for all non-emergency healthcare. I was working full time and paying taxes which is more than a lot of people who are entitled to subsidised healthcare do. In saying that (I'm having a negative homesick day today!) It's so great you're getting the physio though - you certainly wouldn't get that at home!

MrCreosote

Enjoy the ACC while it's there...Not for too long with the current government I'd say. 35 years to build up...gone by lunchtime! All about "choice for the consumer" of course.

Crumble Froo

wow, im back again next week - for free - and will be getting and ultrasound and everything! still for free!

this country is both strange and wonderful.

BattyInNZ

Crumble Froo wrote: »

wow, im back again next week - for free - and will be getting and ultrasound and everything! still for free!

this country is both strange and wonderful.

Isn't it just! :cool: The first summer I was here (4 years ago) I ended up in A&E four times with infections from sandfly bites and they were all covered by ACC. Then, the first Christmas - the day before Christmas Eve - I'm going up the 'travelator' at the Mall with a trolley, thankfully not terribly full, and the trolley started to turn and wouldn't stop and it squashed me against the side and ran over my foot and was facing back down and.. oh Lord Jesus I looked behind me and there was a load of old people and all I could think of was that it'd be on the news that the foreigner had murdered an old person with a trolley I ended up having to have an MRI on my foot - again, covered by ACC. Westfield sent me a voucher for a cup of coffee :pac::pac: Can you imagine how many holidays I'd have been able to get out of that if it happened in Dunnes Stores???????

You have to pay for physio already in some places and that will be the only difference once the new rules come in - it'll be subsidised rather than free which is still a good deal I think. As my father used to say "laughing always comes to crying" and we're crying now for the laughing of our former spendthrift Government.