Waste of money

I have been an Essential Med client for a few years now. I did not mind paying cash for GP visits or medications etc. I tried to have the Essential Med insurance accumulate as much as possible for when I really "needed" it. so last year myself and my daughter had to go for MRI scans due to knee injuries, I had to pay thousands from my pocket. this I did. I phoned Essential Med and asked if I was to be admitted to this specific hospital to have tendons repaired if they would cover it, I was told yes as long as I phone for authorisation they will cover it. a couple of days later the doctors rooms phoned me to say that they could not get the authorisation so I had to phone Essential med and sort this out. I phoned them and was told a "new rule" for Essential med clients, "They do not cover day to day procedures except for a few and they stipulated a couple of things???? so never previously would it have been a problem if I broke a leg or tore a tendon, but now that I actually needed to use all the money I pay every month I was told if you do not stay in hospital for 24 hours Essential med will not cover this? so now what? if I have to go to hospital to have a small operation they do not pay it I must pay it? How does this work? This is not what I was told when I first joined this medical Insurance. how do you pay every month, hardly ever use it and when you need a small operation it is also for your own account? Please clarify?