Dan

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DogDiver

DogDiver

Contributor
Messages
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Location
Branford, Florida
# of dives
5000 - ∞
Well, I suffered a case of DCS II at Hart Springs last January 2012. I was choppered to Jacksonville and they could not treat me in their empty chamber that day. So I was then choppered to Tallahassee for a chamber treatment. All went well and a complete recovery with one navy 6 treatment.

However, as a registered nurse and a state of Florida employee, my Avmed insurance was primary. Of my $50,000 air ambulance bill from Jacksonville to Tallahassee they paid only $5200. To this date DAN has not paid one dime and doesn't plan on paying any more on this claim. I'm stuck with a $44,800 bill. My credit rating has been ruined as this bill and others went to collections.

So why bother getting DAN coverage.

Any help my fellow cave divers could give by emailing DAN just might help me get this paid.

The last thing DAN said in a phone call today was that I should get an attorney to fight the helicopter company.
 
DAN is always secondary coverage, and their TravelAssist coverage requires pre-approval/coordination by their staff before evacuation if the insured expects them to pay. Did that happen? Here's the FAQ from my own DAN coverage:
DAN AP:
DAN TravelAssist MUST arrange all evacuations if they are to be paid for by DAN TravelAssist. The determination of the need for an emergency evacuation or medical repatriation will be made by DAN TravelAssist in consultation with a local attending physician and payment will be made direct to the evacuation provider by DAN TravelAssist.
Click to expand...
It's very clear that they don't reimburse for this expense.
 
DogDiver:
I suffered a case of DCS II at Hart Springs last January 2012. I was choppered to Jacksonville and they could not treat me in their empty chamber that day. So I was then choppered to Tallahassee for a chamber treatment. All went well and a complete recovery with one navy 6 treatment.
Click to expand...


At what point in that timeline did you call DAN? Who arranged the choppers? Who arranged the chamber ride?
 
It's not that I don't feel for the OP, but it seems to me that, as in various cases here where an injured diver has found him/herself in difficult financial straits because of insurance issues, an approach more likely to yield quick results would be a PayPal donation appeal (to everybody in the world the OP knows) rather than a please-write-to-DAN appeal.
 
Dan was on board from the start. One of the EMS personal is a cave diver friend. So protocol was followed.

I'm a NAUI instructor and DAN Preferred member.
 
Well, if DAN arranged the airlift, on what grounds are they refusing to pay?
 
DogDiver:
Dan was on board from the start. One of the EMS personal is a cave diver friend. So protocol was followed.

I'm a NAUI instructor and DAN Preferred member.
Click to expand...

I have no idea what "on board from the start" means, but if DAN arranged the transport, what was their basis for denying the part of the cost not covered by the primary insurance?

I'm genuinely curious, because the only reason I've paid for DAN insurance is their reputation of not playing these sorts of bull:censored: games.
 
DogDiver:
Dan was on board from the start. One of the EMS personal is a cave diver friend. So protocol was followed.

I'm a NAUI instructor and DAN Preferred member.
Click to expand...
In that case, there should be documentation of the arrangements for the medevac by DAN (even the helo company should have records of who ordered the evac), and DAN should have paid directly to the helicopter transport, in which case the error was with the helo company for collecting from you and not billing DAN. Is that what DAN is suggesting? That you need to go to the helo company and have them reimburse your money to you and then they bill DAN instead?
 
I too am curious about their reasoning. My whole family are members.
 
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