ACC only covers you if you are injured and doesn’t cover an injury which can be linked to a degenerative condition.
ACC and Degenerative Conditions
You fall and smash your knee and need knee surgery. During the investigation stage, doctors discover that you have some arthritis in your knee. This makes it extremely likely that ACC will deny your claim even if you had no prior knowledge of the arthritis.
If however you have private medical insurance, you know exactly where you stand and what is covered. After the knee injury, if a condition is discovered which you didn’t know about, it wouldn’t affect your claim in any way.
Some common illnesses and injuries…
| Type of Injury | Covered by ACC | Covered by Private Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Heart attack | ✖ | ✔ |
| Cancer | ✖ | ✔ |
| Stroke | ✖ | ✔ |
| Broken leg | ✔ | ✔ |
| Broken back | ✔ | ✔ |
| Knee injury (arthiritis discovered) | ✖ | ✔ |