82 Year Old Diver "DAN dropped me" Needs Dive Insurance???

[Alice Goot]

Hi all,

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day and we're putting together a small group dive holiday to the Caribbean. Her grandparents are experienced divers and want to come with us (they are a hoot). While we were talking she mentioned that after 25 years DAN dropped their coverage because of his age. She says he's "fit as a fiddle", just did an 11 day dive trip last April in Raja Ampat, Indonesia and did 30 dives.

Does anyone know where he can get coverage? I checked Dive Assure, and he's over their maximum age. I'm told he has great personal insurance, but I doubt that would cover him for dive related issues. His GP and Cardiologist say "they see no reason why he can't continue to dive". Is there coverage out there, even if it's expensive?

Appreciate any thoughts, I'll pass them along.

P.S. They are not American, but German, that may make a difference in underwriters/providers.

 

[Duglum]

Did you check aqua med? They're based in germany, same as him.
At least the Dropdown-Menu on the registration page goes down a hundred years.
But he should check with his insurance first. If coverage for foreign countries (Auslandskrankenversicherung in German) is included with his plan, the chances are that they also cover chamber rides etc. - but it depends.

 

[KeithG]

Have them read the fine print of their existing medical coverage. They may already be covered.

We use regular Blue Cross travel and medical insurance here in Ontario Canada. It covers way more than any DAN policy. If you have good (not the cheapest) medical insurance you are likely already covered. We do not need DAN.

All insurance is state / federally controlled, so different countries and states will have different coverages - even from "the same" company.

Example: I recently got a new "travel" credit card so I could build up travel points and read the fine print on the trip insurance. Our most likely claim would be for weather related departure / return delays (2 claims in the last 5 years). The wording in the contract was a little confusing. So I called them. Being snow delayed by 1 day and then needing to buy an extra plane flight to "catch up" to a cruise ship was not covered by the credit card trip insurance.

Read the fine print. Call your carrier if you have a question.

 

[Alice Goot]

Did you check aqua med?

Thanks Duglum,
I'll pass that on, I wasn't aware of aqua med.

Have them read the fine print of their existing medical coverage. They may already be covered. We use regular Blue Cross travel and medical insurance here in Ontario Canada. It covers way more than any DAN policy. If you have good (not the cheapest) medical insurance you are likely already covered. We do not need DAN.

Thanks Giffenk,

They're planning on doing that, I guess I had the cheapest because my insurance did not include "adventure sports". I always thought this was an optional coverage to your policy, (like flood or earthquake insurance) since I wasn't always on an adventure I didn't have that covered. Guess I should have read the fine print better.

Lol, If it's covered they'll be surprised to learn they've been adding on DAN insurance all these years unnecessarily.

 

[guruboy]

Are you talking about DAN dive accident insurance for stuff like a chamber ride?

My BCBS doesn't cover that.

 

[KeithG]

Are you talking about DAN dive accident insurance for stuff like a chamber ride?

My BCBS doesn't cover that.

Does your policy explicitly exclude hyperbaric chamber treatments? Are there any other types of medical treatments excluded?

Normally medical insurance policies only place a $$$ limit on treatments / procedures. They do not attempt to handcuff your doctor during treatment.

They often (always!) have exclusions for causes of injury. Mine does not cover auto racing or hang gliding, but scuba is fully covered - as long as you are certified. So a DSD session is not covered.

 

[KeithG]

Thanks Duglum,
I'll pass that on, I wasn't aware of aqua med.



Thanks Giffenk,

They're planning on doing that, I guess I had the cheapest because my insurance did not include "adventure sports". I always thought this was an optional coverage to your policy, (like flood or earthquake insurance) since I wasn't always on an adventure I didn't have that covered. Guess I should have read the fine print better.

Lol, If it's covered they'll be surprised to learn they've been adding on DAN insurance all these years unnecessarily.

"adventure sports" is more than a little ambiguous. call your carrier and explicitly ask if scuba is on their "hidden list of adventure sports". Some contracts explicitly list excluded activities and others just use a catchall phrase. The carrier has a well defined list of excluded activities, they just do not always explicitly declare them.

Our blue cross policy has similar wording and does not explicity mention scuba diving (i read the contract before buying). So i called them and they confirmed that scuba diving is covered by the policy as long as you are certified. They explicited mentioned that Discover Scuba Diving sessions were not covered. Technical diving is also covered as long as you have the appropriate certifications.

 

[timetraveler]

May I ask whether DAN dropped his basic membership benefits, or was it the supplemental insurance that DAN sells that dropped him?

 

[Alice Goot]

May I ask whether DAN dropped his basic membership benefits, or was it the supplemental insurance that DAN sells that dropped him?

From what I understand they didn't actually drop him, they just wouldn't renew him.

 

[Aguablanco1]

"From what I understand they didn't actually drop him, they just wouldn't renew him."

And the difference is?
RichH