DIVING OVER 50 YEARS OLD

[KeithG]

Of course I have no idea what insurers provide giffenk's coverage or what the specifics are, but I would caution the diver relying on typical health insurance to ensure that his/her policy covers accidents that occur in foreign countries, as this is a very common exclusion. Even having primary medical insurance with very generous coverage is still often of little benefit while you're out of the country.

And even when foreign locations are covered, there is the matter that some out of country medical facilities require payment up front, or at least prior authorization from your insurance company or other proof of ability to pay (e.g., an American Express card with no stated spending limit), before you are admitted to or discharged from the hospital, or even allowed to leave the country. DAN is on top of this, but most general medical and some travel policies will not provide such, or will do so only with considerable foot-dragging (and of course many dive accidents, such as DCS, do not "keep" particularly well).

Relatedly, all medical air evacuation services, as far as I am aware, absolutely require payment in advance or for solid verification of guarantee of payment. I would mention in passing that I was a personal party (thankfully not the injured diver) to a necessary low-altitude stateside evacuation from a remote location that ran to about $275,000, and that was many years ago. This is beyond the stated limits of most routine medical coverage or "plain Jane" travel insurance policies of which I am aware if. And even when the money is there, the primary medical or travel insurer is highly unlikely to agreeably move you farther than the nearest location that in their (often scuba ignorant) estimation can, as Lorenzoid said, provide "adequate" treatment.

Then there is the topic of co-payments, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket medical costs which are almost always characteristic of primary health insurance, and can add up to a tidy number. With a policy such as those offered by DAN, these are covered as a matter of course.

Admittedly this can be complicated business, and little can be definitively stated without reading the specific policies under discussion. However, it can be definitively stated that if you are going to eschew a secondary dive accident policy and rely solely on your primary medical insurance and some sort of travel policy to cover all dive accident-related costs where ever they may occur, it is advisable that you do your homework very, very diligently.

Regards,

DocVikingo

agreed. If you are relying on "budget" travel insurance that you get for free via your employer, then you likely have very limited coverage. When i was non self employed, my work provided medical policies were basically useless. I think they all had a specific exclusion for scuba diving.

read the fine print. if you do not understand it, then call your provider and get clarification. if your policy is "low cost" there is a reason.

my current blue cross policy provides up to $5,000,000 CDN in medical expenses per year per person. Use of an Air ambulance is specifically mentioned in the policy. The cost of an Air ambulance comes out of the $5,000,000. And just like DAN, Blue Cross has a 24 hour world wide 1 800 call center and they want to pre-approve expenses.

 

[Stoo]

Dive Insurance caters to a "specialized fear" that scuba divers seem susceptible to. Divers seem to think scuba is special. It is (mostly**) not. My plain jane Blue cross travel insurance covers way more than any "dive insurance" package.

P.S. Dive insurance is also like buying special insurance for your scuba gear. My householder insurance policy covers ALL my possessions.

I think the "appeal" of dive insurance like DAN is that most true diving accidents require specialized treatment and the accidents may well occur in remote locations. Both translate to "expensive"... By contrast, "golf accidents" (ball in head, heart attack) are routine, require no specialized treatment, and are typically close to major urban centres.

With regard to this specific thread, I don't know that competent older divers are necessarily at risk for "diving" accidents, but we may be more at risk for cardiac events while diving and so on. That being the case, in theory, any travel insurance should work.

We had occasion to tap into our DAN insurance last summer when my wife was hit by a flying body, sent airborne by an incompetent boat operator in Percé, Quebec. The resulting collision resulted in her leg being broken into five extra pieces and required surgery to insert a rod, an extra week away from home, three seats on an airplane and a nurse escort to get her home. DAN was awesome. Period.

With regard to equipment coverage, there are really only two advantages to having your gear on a rider. First, is there is likely a minimal deductible. Second, if your gear normally "Lives" away from home like mine does, then it's covered. (Mine is normally kept at a seasonal home).

 

[KeithG]

I think the "appeal" of dive insurance like DAN is that most true diving accidents require specialized treatment and the accidents may well occur in remote locations. Both translate to "expensive"... By contrast, "golf accidents" (ball in head, heart attack) are routine, require no specialized treatment, and are typically close to major urban centres.

With regard to this specific thread, I don't know that competent older divers are necessarily at risk for "diving" accidents, but we may be more at risk for cardiac events while diving and so on. That being the case, in theory, any travel insurance should work.

We had occasion to tap into our DAN insurance last summer when my wife was hit by a flying body, sent airborne by an incompetent boat operator in Percé, Quebec. The resulting collision resulted in her leg being broken into five extra pieces and required surgery to insert a rod, an extra week away from home, three seats on an airplane and a nurse escort to get her home. DAN was awesome. Period.

With regard to equipment coverage, there are really only two advantages to having your gear on a rider. First, is there is likely a minimal deductible. Second, if your gear normally "Lives" away from home like mine does, then it's covered. (Mine is normally kept at a seasonal home).

My point was that you do not need special "dive insurance" to be covered for dive accidents, just like you do not need "golf insurance" to be covered for golf accidents.

My "non dive" insurance covers everything DAN does, and much much more. A short ride in a hyperbaric chamber is much less specialized than open heart surgery...Scuba treatments are not fancy.

 

[stillswimmingincircles]

If you do introduce this policy may I wish you better success in your next business venture.

Ouch!

 

[stillswimmingincircles]

Thanks for the response. Very good idea, to contact them. That is very disheartening to hear (as an insured DAN member), and I would certainly be more than a little 'agitated' if DAN left me to fend for myself.

Are you not disclosing your region for any particular reason?

 

[stillswimmingincircles]

sorry, he did reply. Nicaragua