(JAZZ MUSIC) Tonight ` a medical insurance meltdown, when she needed it most. - It felt like Bex was just a number ` like, I'd expect that if you were dealing with car insurance. - We asked AIA Insurance for answers. - I think it's just the emotional and mental impact of something like this, when you're being told already that there's a chance you may be dying. - Plus ` a shocking request for a dead loved one's ID. - I sat there, and I started bawling my eyes out by that time. - And the personalised plates deemed too rude for the road. - There was no sexual intent behind it at all. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2024. - Tena koutou katoa. Welcome to the show. Well, first, you have likely heard the news that TVNZ has proposed it will cut Fair Go from early May. So we want to say thank you, our viewers, for all of your messages of support. We are really, really grateful. - For 47 years, we have fought for the underdog, and that's not something we will give up lightly. - No. But as you know, Fair Go isn't about us ` it is about you, so let's crack on with the show. - The woman in our next story invested in medical insurance for a time when she needed it most, but when that time came, she felt let down over and over again. - That's right. She came to Fair Go in the hope no one else would have to face that same ordeal. Well, Gill took up the challenge, and stand by for a result that could be a game-changer for others. - Rebekah's one of life's happy people. - Like you're getting married, walking down the aisle. - (LAUGHTER) - She's a fun, outgoing, bubbly person. - So what reduced her to this? - (SOBS) I'm so tired of dealing with this shit. (SNIFFLES) I think I just don't feel like I'm being treated like a human being. - Rebekah has cancer, which is a huge battle in itself, but she says it's the claims process with her insurer, AIA, that has piled on the stress. And when she thinks something's wrong? - I won't be quiet about it, either. Yeah. - Like now. - Yeah, like now. - But let's go back to Christmas 2021 ` a scan confirmed a lump in her breast, an aggressive cancer referred to by her doctor as triple negative. - So, he gave me 12 to 18 months to live. - But she stayed positive. - It was, like, 'Oh, you hear about breast cancer all time, 'and there's all these new drugs,' and I had a great insurance policy, with Cancer-plus on it. - It covered her chemo, but doctors also suggested immunotherapy. - And that came at a price tag of $100,000. - So, was that covered by insurance? - No, because it wasn't Medsafe approved ` I just had to suck that up. - Still, she had that Cancer-plus policy, and it included a lump-sum trauma payout she could use for anything, so she put in a claim. - It was a real risk for me, at the time, because I didn't have that money in the bank account. - She needed the insurance quickly, but a decision took six weeks. Now Rebekah gets AIA were having to chase up on a thyroid issue she hadn't mentioned. - But they didn't tell me that's what they were doing. It was the fact that I was completely in the dark, and it's a really stressful time, like, you're told you're dying. You know, you track a parcel, in a delivery service ` I want to track your progress. - In June, a different problem ` she needed surgery to remove her right breast, with a reduction on the left ` she put in another claim. - And that got declined. - She had no idea why, but a call confirmed it. - And I just remember hanging up the phone and, just, I was in tears. - Then she checked the email and saw it referred to bariatric surgery. - And I was, like, 'Hang on ` that's weight-loss surgery.' - She rang again, saying... - I'm having this surgery because of breast cancer. They just sent me a generated email of a claim acceptance. - It felt like Bex was just a number. Like, I'd expect that if you were dealing with car insurance, but not with people. - I'm a human being. - Rebekah asked for an apology. - Some head of AIA or something rang me up and explained that it was a new staff member and also explained that it wouldn't happen again, and then it happened again. - (BOTH CHUCKLE) - It was now November ` more bad news; Rebekah told she had a BRCA gene mutation. It signals an even higher cancer risk, so the surgeon said it was critical to remove her ovaries and uterus, as a cancerous growth had been found. Surgery was booked for two weeks' time, but, again, her claim was denied, and she only found out on the Friday. - And my surgery was to be on the Monday. - But what was their reasoning? - That it was preventative surgery. (LAUGHS) - It's good that you can laugh about these things. - Yeah. (LAUGHS) - But it wasn't funny at the time. Rebekah's surgeon spoke to AIA, saying it was treatment, not preventative. AIA accepted this, but surgery had to be delayed. It's the last-minute nature of everything that Rebekah finds so hard. - Again, no apology, no ringing me up and letting me know ` nothing, it was just sitting in my inbox. - It's hard to see them fighting with insurance companies. You know, they've invested in health insurance to take care of them. - The next available surgery was a month later. - Early Christmas. (CHUCKLES) - Then just one more to go, getting her left breast removed ` important, given her BRCA gene mutation. AIA wouldn't cover it, saying it's not in their policy. But Rebekah's breast surgeon says it doesn't make sense. - I mean, it's standard of care, if you look at any international guidelines around the world. - She told AIA it was critical, explaining just because Rebekah's breast tissue looks normal, it's anything but. - Might not physically see a disease under the microscope, but those breast-tissue cells are abnormal, and it's much safer for someone like Rebekah to have those removed. - So she views the operation as treatment, not prophylactic. - It really is standard of care internationally. - We want to hear from AIA, and its chief medical officer steps up ` we love that. He explains AIA agreed to an ex gratia payment for removing Rebekah's left breast ` that's one that's outside normal claims ` but we want to know... Why does AIA not include this actually in its policy? - It is a preventative operation ` I think it's well advised and an appropriate thing to do, but unfortunately, under the policy wordings at the moment, we have to pay it as an ex gratia. - But then came a twist in Rebekah's tale. Enter a new insurer ` Accuro. - So, with my work, I changed on to a full-time contract with them, and one of the benefits was a health-insurance package with a different provider. Put in an application on Monday, and 24 hours later, they approved the surgery. - Oh wow. - Yeah, it so just goes to show it can be done. - But AIA still thinks it's done a good job. - Basically, we've funded all the necessary treatments, at full cost. - Nearly $400,000 worth, in fact. - There have been some delays, which were unavoidable, to some extent, and others which we should have done better at. I think it's important to realise that none of this adversely affected her clinical outcome. - I think it's more the emotional and mental impact of something like this, when you're being told already that there's a chance you may be dying. - I mean, it's a terrible diagnosis, breast cancer, and obviously, where you have somebody who's under a lot of stress, and, obviously, we apologise if we compounded that to certain extent, but it wasn't all AIA's fault. - Look, Rebekah doesn't dispute this, but feels strongly communication could be improved. Still, she'll be happy at what AIA had to say next. - We've agreed to look at, you know, someone with the BRCA gene, who's had breast cancer and has, you know, opted to have an elective mastectomy, that that should be covered in the policy in the next few months. - He might not look pleased, but he is. - I'm very happy, yes. - And for her daughter's sake, Rebekah is too. In fact, she's pleased for everyone who might need this in the future. - Yeah, that's exactly what I want, you know, for people to have a hassle-free, non-stressful experience in these claims, when everything else is so stressful. - But today is all about Rebekah ` her remaining breast is about to go. - I am off to town, to have my final, full-stop surgery tomorrow. Next time you'll see me, I will have nothing in my body that, um, leads me to being subjected to more cancer treatment. Thanks! Bye! - Great news. And, look, Rebekah's treatment was successful ` she is now cancer-free. And we really do applaud her for coming forward to help make lasting change for other women. - Absolutely. E haere ake nei, coming up ` prudish about number plates? The censored combos baffling owners. - So, this is your offending number plate? - Yeah, this is it. - And she braved a holiday booked by her late husband without him, so why was she turned away? - She said I still need to see Mr Sorenson's ID.' - Hey, Toyota. - (BABY FUSSES) - WHISPERS: Got something safe? It's kind of a big deal for me now. - Yeah, take your pick! WHISPERS: 'Oh, sorry. 'These all come with Toyota Safety Sense as standard.' - Will it be looking for signs of danger? - Well, yeah. It has a pre-collision system with autonomous emergency braking. - Can it help me stay in my lane? - Actually, it can. (CAR ALARM BEEPS) - (MAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) - Can it help me keep a safe distance from others? - Yep, that too. - Do you do 5am test drives? (JAZZ MUSIC) - Kia ora, nau mai, hoki mai. Welcome back. We've all been in situations where rules seem to override common sense. - Mm. For the person in our next story, that gobsmacking moment came during a trip to commemorate her league-loving husband. - And so she did what people have been doing for more than four decades ` she came to Fair Go to put it right. Kaitlin took on the task. Charlie could fill a house with his voice. - He's got such a booming, distinctive laugh that everybody would know, 'Oh, yeah, Charlie's in the room.' - And his love of league is squeezed into every space. - In here has got... all of Charlie's jerseys that he's bought over the years. - Kitty knew what she was in for when she married him. - Sweatshirts and polo shirts. This one's still got the tag on it ` hasn't been worn. He bought me a T-shirt once ` I wear it to bed. He revolved everything around Manly. Everything he did was Manly were the best team. - Especially on nights when they beat her Warriors. Somehow, they made it work. - I watch them, but, um, up the Wahs! - BOTH: Up the Wahs! (TINKLY PIANO MUSIC) - But one upcoming match suddenly became the most important of them all, when Charlie was diagnosed with a terminal illness, so he wasted no time making plans. - He wanted to go to watch Manly play at Brookvale. - He booked a trip for the two of them to Australia via online travel agency Expedia. - He told me, 'It's all done ` we're going to leave on this date, 'and we're going to go over to Sydney, and we're going to stay in the motel.' - But time wasn't on your side? - No. Sadly, he didn't make it. Um, and he passed away in May. Yeah. - They'd already paid for the trip, so as it drew closer, Kitty had a decision to make. - I'll do the trip, I'll go over there, watch his team, and it'll be, um, something that he would have wanted me to do as well. - She made the journey from Whangarei to Oz with her sister. - Got up, oh, I don't know what time, 1 o'clock in the morning, to drive to the airport; got on the flight, got to Sydney, got on to a train, with our bags,... got a bus from the city over to Manly, got to the motel and tried to check in. - She thought that would be the easy part, but not at the Mercure in Brookvale. - And the man at the motel said, 'We need to see your ID,' and I was, sort of, like, was hit with a brick wall, and I went, 'Um, but it's paid for,' and he said, 'I still need to see Mr Sorensen's ID.' Um, 'I don't have his ID,' and I said, 'He actually passed away two months ago,' and they didn't bat an eyelid ` they said, 'Oh, well, 'you'll have to change it into your name, then.' - She says she tried to prove her connection to the booking. - 'Here's my passport, it's got my name on it; 'that's my husband,' but it wasn't good enough. - Staff said she'd need to ring Expedia to change the booking name. - And I sat there, and I started bawling my eyes out by that time. And my sister said, 'See if you can ring them up.' I didn't even have internet, to get into my emails, to find the itinerary number to ring up Expedia. - Feeling out of options, Kitty paid $674 for a room. That was on top of the $773 she and Charlie had already spent on their three-night stay there. - It took a lot, cos I knew we were supposed to do it together, and he wasn't there. But I think he would have been proud of me going. - With a room, rest and hotel wifi, Kitty rang Expedia and says she was assured she'd be refunded for the original booking. Finally, she could focus on why she was there in the first place. And as for the game? - It's the last! Through the hands! Sam Smith with the kick! (WHISTLE BLOWS) - They won! (LAUGHS) (WHISTLE BLOWS) So, yeah, I'm pretty sure Charlie would have been doing high fives. (CHUCKLES) - The high before another low ` two months went by, but the refund from Expedia never showed up. - They said the person that we've been speaking to at the motel said that they don't give refunds for cancellations, and I thought, well, hang on a minute ` I didn't actually cancel it. I just wanted to check in. - After nearly a month of back and forth, she called the Mercure Hotel herself. - He said, 'It's not my choice ` 'if you decided to book another room, 'it's not my choice if that's what you wanted to do.' - Neither side would budge, despite the fact Kitty had paid twice for her stay. What's baffling is the original room stayed empty for the three nights it was booked for. So at some stage, staff must have realised that Mr Sorensen wasn't showing up. But if they did, Kitty didn't hear about it. - I said to Expedia, I said that, 'I may have no option but to write to Fair Go.' So that's what I did ` and I didn't think that was a fair go. - Neither do we, Kitty. So on our first stop to find common sense, we took Kitty's case to Accor, the parent company of the Mercure Hotel. They spoke to the staff involved and came back to us with this response ` 'We sincerely apologise to Mrs Sorensen for any distress caused. 'We have a check-in procedure in place and recognise that, in this instance, 'our teams should have accepted Mrs Sorenson's booking, 'given the relationship to her husband 'and the circumstances surrounding her visit. 'We also apologise for the lack of communication ` 'this was an oversight by the hotel, which we are addressing with the team.' The General Manager of the hotel also gave Kitty a call to apologise and offered to make up for it. - Yeah, he just sent his sincere apologies, and he said that he was not happy with how the staff had treated me. And he, um, said that he was going to refund the amount that Charlie had paid for the hotel. Not only that; he said that he was going to refund the portion that I paid for, the second booking. - A total of $1447 now in Kitty's bank account. - Just wanted to say thank you so much for all that you've done. - And she reckons it's a win for Charlie too. - I am pretty sure he's up there and he's waving round one of his many jerseys that he's got. I'm sure he will be really pleased that it, um, came out with the outcome that we have now. - Aw. Kia ora, Kitty. - Mm. Nice result for a lovely lady. And if you've ever wondered where your money goes when you book through an online travel company, Expedia says it releases funds to the hotel during the guest's stay. - E haere ake nei, coming up ` the number plate recalled after 37 years. - I couldn't believe when I heard ` you know, they said, 'Someone's made a complaint.' (JAZZ MUSIC) Kia ora, nau mai, hoki mai. Welcome back. For the people in our next story, number plates are personal. - Personal and personalised, and they both took the right steps to get them. - So imagine their surprise when they were asked by Waka Kotahi to surrender those plates. - Why? Sacha McNeil has the story. (LAID-BACK MUSIC) Not too far from the big smoke, but just far enough for some ` the peace and slower pace of Waiheke Island lured Tony and Dinja over 13 years ago. - What a spot! - Yeah. You've got a good day for it. - Together they run a crystal-import business, enjoy yoga, meditating, growing organic veggies, so it's not surprising Tony's personalised number plate sums up his serene spirit. So, this is it, this is the number plate? - This is it, yeah. That mark on the right's from a trailer in 1988, I think. - (LAUGHS) Not your fault? - No, no. It was on the back of the car. Hopefully, I won't end up losing the plate. - Yeah, you've had it for a long time. - Yeah. 37 years, and never a complaint. - Until now. A recent phone call from Waka Kotahi had Tony reminding himself to take a few deep breaths. - I couldn't believe when I heard. You know, they said, 'Someone's made a complaint.' - His number plate, OM, which had already outlived five of his cars... - I put it on my grandfather's old 1954 Borgward Isabella, his old German car. - ...and been with him for almost four decades, had triggered a complaint. It was deemed confusing and could be read differently if affixed upside down. - It wouldn't be too hard to think of all sorts of letters that could be put in one place or another or put upside down and look similar. - But they also asked for an explanation of its meaning. So, what does the number plate 'OM' mean to you? - To me, it just means the universe; in particular, the underlying vibration of the universe. - # Om. # - A vibration of a different kind, back in the big smoke. Hi, Zac. How you going? - Good. How are you? - Good. So, this is your offending number plate? - Yeah, this is it. - NUTZAC. - Yeah. - The carefully curated NUTZAC plate belongs to Zac James, an apprentice panel beater from West Auckland. It too caught someone's eye, prompting a complaint. So, what does that number plate mean to you? - Well, it means a lot, really, cos I got it for my 16th birthday. And then, cos my Dad, his dad bought him NUTA, and then, yeah, he thought NUT-ZAC, with my name in it, you know. - His family responded to Waka Kotahi, explaining the plate's backstory. - That there was no sexual intent behind it at all, that it was just basically a piece of family history that we wanted to continue, a tradition that we wanted to, you know, hand over to Zac, so he could then start making plates for his children as well. - Waka Kotahi requested both to surrender their plates, with the offer to redesign new ones, free of charge. Back in 1987, Tony paid around $375 for his ` now it would be worth a whole lot more. Plates are designed and purchased on the Kiwiplates website, Waka Kotahi's delegated authority to sell plates. When you go into the Kiwiplates website, are there other, more graphic or slightly offensive number plates available? - There are. Absolutely, a hundred percent, there's a lot of graphic stuff in there. I don't quite know how it gets through. - Can you show us some of those? - Yeah, sure. Absolutely. - You don't need too much creative flare to rustle up a potentially offensive personalised plate. (BEEP!) - Yeah, so from here, I can literally hit 'continue', and then I can check out and pay. - And that's gonna cost you over $1000. - Yeah. To then have it potentially taken off me. - The day before I was meant to hand the plate in, I get a letter from them saying, 'Oh, this is now a bigger issue, 'and we're looking it for another two months or so, 'to decide on it again.' - So why the change of heart? We put to this to Waka Kotahi, who didn't answer that, but said when they get a complaint, the potential to be offensive is weighed up with freedom of expression, that personalised plates with objectionable wording can be excluded and so can combos that can be confusing, or if, say, turned upside down can look like a new plate. Once the review's complete, Waka Kotahi will let them know the plates can be kept, surrendered or have a message printed on or around the plate. And while OM and NUTZAC appear to come from different cosmic universes, the two owners still face the same car conundrum. How long do you think you'll keep it for if you can keep it? - Forever. And, yeah, hopefully hand it down to my kids, eventually. - I am just a little bit jealous. That is a confident head of hair and a great result. - Oh, yes indeed. Right, that's it from us, but if you only caught part of the show, you can catch our stories on the Fair Go page on TVNZ+ and on YouTube. - That's right, our programme is all about you, so please do get in touch. - Mm-hm. You can find us on social media, email us ` fairgo@tvnz.co.nz you can write to us ` PO Box 3819, Auckland 1140. Because we are still here to help. - Thanks again for your support. It's meant so much. Keep it coming. Until next week,... BOTH: ...pomarie.