Employers Expect Better from ACC

02
May

The ongoing controversy over ACC (Accident Compensation Commission) seems to have turned into yet another “he said, she said” political scandal. Amidst all the hype and noise though, it’s easy to lose sight of perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this whole saga: the difficulty claimants seem to have in getting good assistance from ACC.

Amidst all the allegations of bullying and threats, we seem to have lost sight of the fact that business owners pay for ACC, and they should be able to expect that if their employees ever have need of the system, they will get the best possible service and care.

This is especially true for small businesses, who have a close relationship with their team members, and who pay sizeable ACC levies to make sure their staff are looked after.

In the last few years, our business community has worked incredibly hard through the recession and recovery. They are careful with their money, and they listen to their customers. It’s not unreasonable of them to expect that ACC will give them and their employees the same value for money.

Let’s not forget, the original purpose of ACC was to institute “no fault” insurance. Instead of a system like America’s where these decisions would be made by lawsuits and litigation, New Zealand and its employers went in a better direction, opting to make assistance available to anyone injured at work, to be paid for by levies from employers.

When it was instituted in the 1970’s ACC was a world leading system, providing the best care and assistance, while avoiding the sort of legal morass seen in other countries. Instead of having to jump through hoops, ACC was there for people and the system just worked. For small businesses, it was clearly worth paying the – often climbing – cost of levies, because the value for money was so clear.

That’s why the ongoing controversy surrounding Bronwyn Pullar and the accidental leaking of over 6500 claimant’s personal information is so worrying. It undermines the confidence in ACC as an institution that “just works”, which is at the heart of the bargain that makes the system possible.

Employers, especially in small business, want to make sure that their staff are looked after, and ACC offers a world-leading way to do that. But when levies keep rising, and the system stops working the way it should, employers are going to start wondering what it is they are getting for their employees with all the money they spend.

What do you think? Are you happy with the levies you’re paying and the service you and your team get from ACC?

Julian Smith | General Manager – MYOB

What others are saying

Author

thesaint

May 9, 2012 at 9:35 am

Yeah I am happy with what ACC provides.
I run a small gym/fitness studio and we have physio’s work out of our rooms as well.
Clear injuries like sporting injuries etc get care get treated get them back to work.
What bothers me as a Levy payer and a general Tax payer is the stream of ACC “injured” who come in fo a fairly innoculous back sprain, soft tissue injury and a re quite clearly Milking the system for a nice levy payer funded holiday – If ACC ever included effort testing for some of these wasters who are in Rehab to get them back to work, there would be many more people kicked off the system.
My experience is that the system does “just work” if there is a clear cut injury, but since the benefits of ACC are that great – it has been opened up to more Grey Area claims which then of course leads to more disputes and more negative publicity if those claims are declined.
From reading about Bronwyn Pullar the only thing that is obvious is that if she’s had to fight her own Private insurance company for so long, as well as ACC – Doesn’t that tell you that her claim was kinda dodgy in the first place?

- Author
  
  Julian Smith General Manager - MYOB NZ
  
  May 9, 2012 at 10:04 am
  
  Welcome and thanks for stopping by! You raise an issue that I think many folks are concerned with. Do have any suggestions for how ACC might ensure that your levies only fund genuine claims? Julian
  
  - Author
    
    thesaint
    
    May 9, 2012 at 1:39 pm
    
    Well that’s the tricky one Julian, and there are always going to be those that fall in that Grey area.
    But as an Ex Physio – if someone is off work for a soft tissue injury after a few months, then there really is something else going on over and above the index accident/injury.
    
    My own experience with ACC when I’ve had my various sporting injuries has been pretty simple and has worked pretty much as it ought to. Bit of treatment, some support to get back to work etc.
    But then like most owners of a SME I was motivated to get back to work and keep my business going.
    
    I think stricter regulations about accepting claims in the first instance would help, as would getting tougher on GP’s issuing of Medical certificates.
    
    - Author
      
      Julian Smith General Manager - MYOB NZ
      
      May 10, 2012 at 8:32 am
      
      Thanks for the ideas – I suspect a lot of folks in business would agree.
      
- Author
  
  Geoff
  
  May 9, 2012 at 1:03 pm
  
  ACC your tawdry tentacles of spin have no bounds!!
  
Author

Deb Smith

May 9, 2012 at 2:24 pm

ACC have failed alot of people with injuries. There have been quite a few instances in which Claimants had been undiagnosed at the very onset of injury. From that point, claimants are hugely disadvantaged trying to get the assistance through ACC for help.

ACC are not what they advertise themselves to be. They are a dangerous entity, set up and allowed to continue to TAKE MONEY from NZrs for the Govt’s end. Not for the benefit of the Injured.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: These comments have been edited and abridged in line with terms and conditions of The Pulse comment policy]

- Author
  
  Julian Smith General Manager - MYOB NZ
  
  May 9, 2012 at 4:18 pm
  
  Hi Deb, thanks for sharing your experiences with us – it sounds like an incredibly challenging time for you. We’re sorry we have not been able to incorporate all your comments on The Pulse due to space constraints and wish you all the best in your recovery. Warm regards Julian.

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