Drug not publicly funded, so insurer refuses to pay out - Video

Hi,


I was an employee for a Southern Cross hospital when I began to develop a rash-like condition on the skin of my hands. I took it to my superiors and they referred me to a dermatologist on their payroll, part of their may be the fault of a handwash used at the hospital, as I had already had a RAST covering most common hospital chemicals. However, the dermatologist told me it looked like a latex allergy (to the gloves). I reminded him that I had already had a RAST test for latex during my induction into the hospital, which I passed. He told me to get another one, which I also passed. Still insisting I had a latex allergy, he first made me wear non-latex gloves for a period of about a week, and then no gloves at all... With no change. So, logically, he put me down as having a latex allergy on his report. When I got the letter I'd been waiting for from CareAdvantage, I figured out why. If you have an allergy as the cause of your problem, you don't get covered. Period.

With incidents like Mike's and Raewyns, it seems to me that Southern Cross are with you all the way unless they actually have to provide money.

Hi Raewyn
We had a similar experience with Southern Cross over my wifes Taxotere chemo treatment for breast cancer. We took our case to the Insurance Ombudsman with no result, as the wording in the fine print of the policy(buried at a level that you would have needed several law degrees to comprehend) gave them an out, and believe me, they took it. In the end, it cost us $20k for a better drug than the standard treatment at $8k. I would have been happy for Southern Cross to have contributed the $8k, but they refused. Shame on you Southern Cross! The only reason we haven't changed companies is because no other company will touch us now. I now strongly recommend all health insurance buyers check their policies out thoroughly, or alternatively buy a trauma cover policy off any insurance company. Good luck Raewyn, we wish you all the best!