Survey highlights flaws in private accident insurance

A report on the impact of the private accident insurance regime on health service providers, prepared for the Department of Labour, reveals some of the pitfalls of the private model, says acting ACC Minister Ruth Dyson.

"The report reveals that, once you scratched below the expensive marketing and PR campaigns, the private model was not efficient or effective," says Ms Dyson.

"Rather than making our workplaces safer, private insurance companies were simply imposing tighter controls on workers and health providers with the aim of hiding accidents rather than preventing them.

"These findings reinforce the evidence heard repeatedly at the ACC Select Committee earlier this year," says Ms Dyson.

The report found, among other things, that:

 Private insurance companies were reluctant to approve claims and were often late in honouring invoices.

 Employers pressured their employees not to lodge claims for workplace accidents.

 GPs raised their patient fees to cover the costs of doing the extra paper-work.

 The costs and complexity of the ssytem were a major deterrent to accessing treatment.

The survey, conducted by Blue Lotus Research, involved 800 health practitioners.

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