ACC Rehabilitation Plans Announced
The Green Party has developed a rehabilitation plan to bring ACC back on
track, Green Party health spokesperson Kevin Hague said today.
The step-by-step plan released today sets out the key action points that will
bring about the culture change required at ACC. It includes reviewing the
legislation and recent activities of ACC, but would also put in some systemic
changes such as further security on sensitive claims information, retraining
of front line staff, and bringing medical information back to a high level of
priority in decision making.
"ACC needs to return to its original purpose: to provide a world class public
service and honour the social contract it was founded on," said Mr Hague.
"There are clear steps that need to be followed to get back on track; I've
pulled together the key activities for the next 100 days.
"This rehabilitation plan prioritises the needs of the people making claims,
as they should be at the heart of ACC's work.
"Ms Rebstock, or any other chair who is appointed, is welcome to follow my
plan to shape her work for the next few months.
"This plan sets out how to shift from a profit driven insurance model back to
one that provides the level of care that injured and vulnerable New
Zealanders need and should expect from now on.
"ACC is a great institution that has a proud history and still has some very
good people working in it. It has, however, been on the wrong path.
"The Minister for ACC needs to seize this opportunity to return ACC to its
founding principles and a culture of excellent public service; ready to work
for New Zealanders," said Mr Hague.
Monday, June 18, 2012
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11 comments:
"shift from a profit driven insurance model" - Obviously "sustainability" is not on the Green agenda.
What really needs to happen is the provision of rehabilitation handed back to the private sector. When privatised in the late 90's the private sector showed ACC how to manage accident compensation. Everyone was better off - injured workers received better care, choice in coverage was provided, individuals could get what they needed (particularly the self-employed), and the government had a massive encumbrance removed from the balance sheet. And guess what - it cost us less for better outcomes all round.
Never mind, ideology won out and it was all nationalised so we could have more political meddling, poorer outcomes, and huge cost impositions on the taxpayer.
If your man really wanted to improve ACC he would involve the experts in the private sector. But I guess that would mean the potential loss of an opportunity for some political meddling.
Paranormal
You've expressed your thoughts very clearly here, paranormal and made equally clear what your ideology is.
Forget about ideology in this case RG. Let’s actually focus on what works.
ACC has been a plaything of politicians since it's inception. Forget the wonderful prose around Woodhouse's ideal, politicians have been into what they saw as a great earner from day one. We need to remove their interference to provide the level of service New Zealanders require.
Privatisation worked so well - claimants received the service and help they needed, and on top- of that, insurers were going to have to reduce their premiums in following years. Instead we had ACC gouging premiums from the time they took it back on.
FYI I was involved as an adviser with a number of the insurers at the time.
Paranormal
"Forget the wonderful prose around Woodhouse's ideal"...well, no, the ideal is an admirable one and one I subscribe to. The call for a refocus on that original proposal, along with the wisdom of experience can provide a better, sound model for these times and that, as I see it, is what the Greens propose. Your privatisation model is a disaster in the making. Only greedy ideologues seek what you are suggesting :-)
What I was saying is that the Woodhouse ideal was forgotten on day one of ACC by politicians for their own ends. They are your greedy ideologues. ACC funding was used by politicians who didn't care about the long term nature of ACC claims and the requirement for long term investment of premium to meet future claim costs. Instead they used the revenue stream for unrelated social spending.
The private sector has far better checks, balances and constraints than anything in the political sphere. New Zealand is far more able to acheive Woodhouse's ideal by using the real experts in the area than political machinations.
Why is privatisation a disaster in the making when it has proven to work far better and consistently than the current model?
But as one of the party faithful/repeaters you wouldn't be able to ever look at that option, let alone admit it may work.
Paranormal
I guess that must be true, paranormal, so I'll not pretend to have any position other than the Party's.
Although the point of this post was to show that the Greens aren't just critics, as is so often claimed, but do in fact offer constructive solutions. This is true not only of the ACC issue, but almost every other. The Green's 'policy cupboard' is groaning under the weight of so much work. National's, on the other hand, appears almost completely bare.
I think we can all agree on your last point.
But then again that's kind of always been the problem with the gnats. As a conservative party they come in and continue the current policy settings, with maybe some tinkering around the edge. The only exception would be Ruth who provided some real reform especially around fiscal responsibility.
@10:48 - that's exactly how it seems.
Paranormal
And here we go again: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7125792/Premiums-may-drop-in-ACC-rethink
This is the problem with poitical interference. They have no idea of the consequences, and could care less. Something as big as ACC could bankrupt a future government, which is why ACC was moved to full funding some time ago.
Typical Liarbour. Bribe the public with their own money for short term popularity, and to hell with the long term consequences. And the gnats will go along for the ride rather than point out the simple and obvious flaws.
Paranormal
You'd be surprised at how little my contact with the Mothership :-)
My thoughts are largely, my own.
Typical Liarbour! Typical Factional!
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