Your world can turn upside down in a few seconds, and that’s exactly what happened to John. If ACC accept your accident claim, life might go on as normal. But what happens if they don't?
John, a hardworking 63-year-old senior carpenter, has always been active – whether it's sports, fishing, or working in the garden. But his life was upended after a workplace injury: while installing massive bay windows on a construction site, John tore both of his shoulders. Despite pushing through the pain, it became clear he needed surgery to repair the damage, but the real struggle began when his ACC (Accident Compensation Corporation) claim was rejected due to the injury being deemed degenerative – linked to his age.
Feeling discouraged, John and his wife Maree were almost resigned to postponing his surgery so that they could save to cover expenses while John would be off work. However, Maree reached out to Southern Cross Health Insurance’s Member Advocacy team, which proved to be a game-changer. Our Member Advocacy team has access to medical and dispute resolution expertise to support members who may feel out of their depth navigating the ACC process. This service, available to members at no extra charge, helped gather the necessary medical information and resolve the issue with ACC without a lengthy hearing process. Thanks to their support, John received the surgery and financial assistance he needed – allowing him to recover and return to work sooner than expected.
Get a free online quote for your family now.*Not all benefits are available on all Southern Cross Health Insurance plans. You can check our policy documents to see what each plan covers. John has the RegularCare plan.
Southern Cross Medical Care Society (trading as Southern Cross Health Society) is a licensed insurer and a licensed financial advice provider. For more information about the financial advice service we provide and a copy of our public disclosure statement please visit southerncross.co.nz/disclosure-statement.
Southern Cross Medical Care Society (trading as Southern Cross Health Society) has an A+ (Strong) financial strength rating given by Standard & Poor’s (Australia) Pty Limited. The rating scale is: AAA (Extremely Strong), AA (Very Strong), A (Strong), BBB (Good), BB (Marginal), B (Weak), CCC (Very Weak), CC (Extremely Weak), SD or D (Selective Default or Default). Ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories. Full details of the rating scale are available at www.spglobal.com/ratings/en/about/intro-to-credit-ratings. Standard & Poor’s is an approved rating agency under the Insurance (Prudential Supervision) Act 2010.
