The main difference in health insurance coverage in New Zealand is that diseases unrelated to an occupational injury are not covered by insurance. On the official website of Accident Compensation Corporation, there is a list of cases in which insurance is not covered. Among them are long-term illnesses, emotional problems, stress, and conditions associated with aging. At the same time, even to cover work-related injuries, a person will have to try to turn the situation around and take control. An accident at work is an event resulting from which the insured has received an injury or other damage to health while performing duties under an employment contract. This applies both to the employer’s territory and outside it, either during the journey to the place of work or returning from the place of work. For example, if the victim was traveling on a transport provided by the employer, which entailed transferring the insured to another job, temporary or permanent loss of professional ability to work, or death.
At the same time, the trial of whether a person has received a work-related injury can be very long and resource-consuming. If to turn to the Woodman report, one can see that the problem has existed for a long time and causes massive inconvenience to the victims. Woodman supports creating a new system with mandatory insurance coverage while reducing the differentiation between these cases and legal costs. Returning to the topic of differentiation between the range of injuries resulting from an incident and damages resulting from an illness, the main difference also remains the different sizes of insurance. Woodman, in his document, gives an example of a situation when a person who has received a disability as a result of an injury receives much more payments than a person with a congenital disability.
The issue of differences between workplace accidents and workplace illnesses in New Zealand is relevant for the same reason for the difference in benefits. Accidents occur as a result of working with harmful, hazardous substances and overloading. The security policy is regulated by law; therefore, getting paid under this article is considered a more complicated and time-consuming process. The employer must provide the worker with all the necessary equipment to ensure labor safety. If this does not happen, the responsibility for the occupational injury lies with the business owner. Furthermore, based on legislative aspects, the employee must take measures to eliminate the danger on their own and not risk health and life. This type of illness is more predictable than accidents in the workplace. It includes injuries associated with physical overload, hypertension, coronary artery disease, hearing, and lung function disorders. In other words, there are several diseases inherent in workers in some hazardous regions. Work-related injuries have two dimensions that differ significantly in terms of regulation and compensation policies.
Such injustice dramatically affects not only the financial but also the moral state of the discriminated party. General insurance policy brings moral suffering due to disability experienced by people of both groups is similar in many ways. However, some receive more help from the state and the rhinestone companies than others. This contradicts the principle of equality of all citizens of the state, as well as generally undermines the liberal authority of the government. By the policy of separation and by allocating more funds to support one group of people with disabilities, insurance companies cynically force people to fight and prove the severity of the light of the injury. In addition, many people who have been injured may be especially morally depressed and experience additional discomfort due to lengthy court proceedings on this issue. People with disabilities should not feel divided and graduated when it comes to insurance payments. There is also inequality in the area of workplace injuries since one section is much more heavily covered by insurance. Injustice in the protection system can be seen in many aspects of residents and must be discussed.
To stabilize the situation and ensure equal opportunities for all, it is necessary to revise the insurance conditions at the state level. First of all, it is essential to collect statistics and identify problem points that require revision. For example, people suffer from the too-long procedure for obtaining compensation, which could be simplified. A step towards society will allow them to understand that they are being cared for and inspire trust and respect. Moreover, it is necessary to establish complete control of organizations interacting with hazardous substances; this will reduce the number of insurance cases of occupational diseases. A few simple steps are enough to keep people safe and reduce injuries.
Rehabilitation is necessary for every person with a disability, which also means that equal insurance funds are needed. By drawing a line between disability due to an incident and congenital disability, insurance companies pay much more attention to the cause rather than the consequences that a person will now have to live with. Victims should not burden themselves with proving their problems and spend time on lengthy proceedings with insurance companies. It does not matter whether it is a long-term illness that proceeded gradually or an unsatisfactory case – the main priority of the insurance system should be equality in assisting.