Personal Accident Insurance
What should I do if an accident happens at a choir gig?
- Call an ambulance or seek appropriate medical help!
- Call Aon to let them know there has been an incident.
- If you have taken out insurance, it is your responsibility to read your policy carefully and ensure you know what you are covered for and seek clarification if required.
A few quick points! - Visit our website for further information, or call Aon directly on 1800 123 266
- Personal Accident Insurance help protect your conductors and choristers against personal accidental injury or death.
- It only covers non-Medicare medical expenses like dental, ambulance, chiropractor, physiotherapy, osteotherapy, private hospital accommodation costs and the like. This means that there is a gap.
- Because of legislation, insurers cannot cover any out of hospital expenses that have a Medicare component.
- Your Choir will no doubt already be practicing best practices and safety. There’s no need to be alarmist about the gap in insurance coverage, but equally in the spirit of transparency, it’s an issue that choirs do need to be aware of.
NON-MEDICARE MEDICAL EXPENSES
Personal Accident Insurance help protect your conductors and choristers against personal accidental injury or death. But this leaves a gap because it only covers non-Medicare medical expenses like dental, ambulance, chiropractor, physiotherapy, osteotherapy, private hospital accommodation costs and the like. Because of legislation, insurers cannot cover any out of hospital expenses that have a Medicare component.
It’s not as if this is a new thing – when the government introduced Medicare it amended the National Health Act (1953, Commonwealth), the Health Insurance Act (1973, Commonwealth), and later the Private Health Insurance Act (2007, Commonwealth), ensuring insurers were locked out from providing full cover for any medical expenses that Medicare was to cover. These laws state that where there is a contract of insurance, the insurer isn't liable to make a payment for anything that is rendered by these acts. The onus is thus on Medicare to cover the insured.
Sounds all well and good, but how does this work in practice? We all know that there can be minor injuries sustained as part of chorale activities. If you you jam your hand in a door or have a fall and injure your knee, for instance, you may well be liable for some expenses. The doctor will charge a fee, say $100, of which Medicare will only rebate 75%, and you will be out of pocket for the remaining $25–unless you go to a hospital or a clinic that bulk bills.
This gap in the market and the Medicare coverage affects anyone who engages volunteers, including not-for-profit, charity and community organisations. Essential services like Meals on Wheels, community bus drivers and others in the transport field, like those who assist the elderly and their carers, etc., are all affected.
Your Choir will no doubt already be practicing best practices and safety. There's no need to be alarmist about the gap in insurance coverage, but equally in the spirit of transparency, it's an issue that choirs do need to be aware of.
The best path forward is one of knowledge, and forewarned is forearmed.
