Well you can completely blame your doctor for not initiating 100% recovery research from the first stroke patient s/he had that didn't get 100% recovered. I'd say that was malpractice.
Stroke survivor: 'Terrifying' to rely on husband's income to live
Andrew Stopps says he’s in a “terrifying” position.
In 2021, when he was 47, he suffered two strokes. His right arm was paralysed, which meant he could no longer work as a music teacher and musician.
“I always thought strokes were for people who were elderly. I didn’t know anything about young stroke survivors.”
He now has movement back in his hand and arm but not the fine motor skills he would need to play again.
“The thing that I was really surprised at is that my husband earns over the threshold so I’m ineligible for financial support. It was surprising enough I had to fill out his details on forms but to find that out was terrifying, actually.”
Once a couple jointly earns $160 as week, it affects the amount of benefit they can get. A couple with no children receives no Jobseeker Support once they earn $981 a week jointly, before tax.
Other support can be available, such as special needs grants which can be paid when weekly income is up to $1308.60. Stopps gets some assistance with transport.
“I’ve been able to draw down my KiwiSaver to help pay for rehab and living expenses but that money is now almost out and once that goes, I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
The couple migrated from Australia 14 years ago and Stopps said, had the strokes happened there, he might have been able to access disability support.
“All of his salary pays our mortgage, rates and utilities. My salary used to cover car, food and amenities. Now I cannot work we are in serious trouble.”
He said it seemed old-fashioned to disqualify from a benefit someone based on their partner’s income. “I can imagine this law being effective 50 or 60 years ago when there was one breadwinner who could afford to pay for the family but in 2023 it doesn’t work.”
Their mortgage repayments and rates had increased and making ends meet was hard.
If Stopps had suffered an accident, he could qualify for income support via ACC. But ACC does not extend to medical conditions such as strokes.
Green Party disability spokesperson Jan Logie said it was something the party wanted to address, and have the scheme pay out when someone was disabled, regardless of cause.
She said, as it was, Stopps was in a situation where he qualified for minimal support, whereas someone who was paralysed through an accident could receive 80% of their pre-accident income via ACC.
“There are inequities that disabled people have been calling to be resolved for years,” she said.
“There are three systems of income support and additional support, between Work and Income, ACC and the health system.
“The levels of support are so different. You might have somebody with, in effect, the same physical experiences but one gets access to decent income and transport support and home help but the other gets nothing and is forced to be entirely reliant on a partner or live in deep poverty. It just can't be justified.”
She said the Greens would fund the change by creating a flat rate for employers, which would increase what some paid, such as professional services.
They party would also increase employee levies to remove the maximum threshold and use some of the money that ACC had invested.
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Katrina Shanks, of Financial Advice NZ, which represents financial advisers, said people could insure themselves to avoid Stopps’ situation.
“Trauma or critical illness insurance pays a lump sum on the diagnosis or occurrence of one of a list of specific illnesses such as heart attack, cancer or stroke. Each policy is different so it is important you understand what you are covered for.
“This payment gives you choice and flexibility at a time when you need it most. It will allow you to reduce your working hours, spend time with your family, get treatment or rehabilitation and pay for a carer and any number of unexpected things.”
Stopps said, because I had a benign brain tumour in 2005, he was only eligible for life insurance not trauma or critical illness. “Everywhere I went only offered life insurance, so I'm more valuable dead than alive it seems.”
Shanks said about 20,000 people had to stop each work every year due to a health condition, injury or disability but a larger number would work reduced hours.
”By comparison in 2022, ACC provided 137,939 people with weekly compensation because they couldn't work due to their injuries. ACC only covers accidents and excludes things like illness, sickness, or contagious diseases, arthritis, most hernias, and injuries that happen over time, unless an activity at work is causing it.
“Compared to other developed countries New Zealanders are very under-insured and put their financial health, wealth and wellbeing at risk by not having the correct personal insurances. It is not until something goes wrong that you realise the true value of insurance.”
Stopps said they might have to move back to Australia.
“We don't want to do that. We moved here 14 years ago and we love it but if I can't get taken care of when I need it – I paid tax for 14 years before the stroke – I don’t see any other option. I don't have family who can help, both my parents are dead. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
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