Buy Dan Travel Insurance At Your Own Risk. Did You Know This?
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Cert1967
Contributor
It seems that you have to start the application process to be able to download a copy of the DAN Annual Travel policy. DAN markets the policy, Generali US Branch is the insurance company underwriting the policy.
From the general exclusions section of the policy,
The "Definitions" section of the policy lacks a definition of the term "dive master". Is the guide leading a dive the "dive master"? "Caving" isn't defined, but its not too hard to see where this exclusion might concern a diver. "Extreme Skiing" is similarly vague. How about a ballon ride - is this activity provided by an "air charter company"?
The medical coverage for the 3 plan tiers offered is minimal - $10-20-50k - a serious event will quickly exhaust these amounts. A US citizen on medicare should pay particular attention to these coverage amounts.
The trip cancellation and interruption offered at $2-3-5k (each category) reflects the higher probability of a covered event occurring. The "Emergency Assistance and Evacuation" has substantial limits of $100-150-250k - with a number of qualifiers - might be a valuable addition to DAN dive insurance coverage for some.
Perhaps DAN should write about the benefits and limitations of travel insurance in Alert Diver. In the end the DAN Annual Travel policies are inexpensive and the coverages afforded are minimal.
From the general exclusions section of the policy,
i. you or your Traveling Companion mountain climbing, bungee cord jumping, skydiving, parachuting, hang gliding, parasailing, caving, extreme skiing, heli-skiing, skiing outside marked trails, boxing, full contact martial arts, scuba diving below 120 feet (40 meters) or without a dive master, or travel on any air-supported device, other than on a regularly scheduled airline or air charter company;
The "Definitions" section of the policy lacks a definition of the term "dive master". Is the guide leading a dive the "dive master"? "Caving" isn't defined, but its not too hard to see where this exclusion might concern a diver. "Extreme Skiing" is similarly vague. How about a ballon ride - is this activity provided by an "air charter company"?
The medical coverage for the 3 plan tiers offered is minimal - $10-20-50k - a serious event will quickly exhaust these amounts. A US citizen on medicare should pay particular attention to these coverage amounts.
The trip cancellation and interruption offered at $2-3-5k (each category) reflects the higher probability of a covered event occurring. The "Emergency Assistance and Evacuation" has substantial limits of $100-150-250k - with a number of qualifiers - might be a valuable addition to DAN dive insurance coverage for some.
Perhaps DAN should write about the benefits and limitations of travel insurance in Alert Diver. In the end the DAN Annual Travel policies are inexpensive and the coverages afforded are minimal.
I have never purchased travel insurance. I do have the DAN accident insurance that most of us purchase along with our DAN membership. If I understand correctly, the main benefits of travel insurance to divers who already have DAN accident insurance would be the trip cancellation and interruption benefits. I can see the value of those benefits if you are on the hook for pricey airline tickets or a liveaboard or resort. What I don't understand is what kind of loss I might claim under a travel insurance policy resulting from diving below 120 feet or without a divemaster. I suppose if I suffer a DCS hit in the middle of my trip I might claim trip interruption, but my thinking is that losing the rest of my trip would be the least of my concerns compared with medical and evacuation costs, etc., and those would be covered by DAN accident insurance. Am I missing something?
lerpy
Contributor
The simple take away from this is, as divers, that travel out of our respective countries, you should have both travel insurance, and as all divers should, have dive insurance to cover issues specific to diving.
Cert1967
Contributor
Why not let William know of your concerns. I believe his email is, wziefle@dan.org. His compensation - source, 2014 DAN 990 - was $399,765 (reportable), with an extra $34,016 (other). Perhaps he would be willing to address the issues presented in this thread.
The sailboat folks seem to have concerns about DAN's insurance as well.
Corporate Overview
DAN Inc. Executive Team
William Ziefle, J.D., MBA, President and CEO, 919-684-2948
Panchabi Vaithiyanathan, Ph.D., MBA, COO and CIO
Panchabi Vaithiyanathan, Ph.D., MBA, COO and CIO
Scuba Diving Medical Safety Advice — DAN | Divers Alert Network
DAN Expands Per-Trip Insurance Offerings
“Whether it’s emergency assistance, medical information or insurance products, DAN’s focus has always been about providing quality to the diving community,” said William M. Ziefle, president and CEO of DAN Holdings."
“Whether it’s emergency assistance, medical information or insurance products, DAN’s focus has always been about providing quality to the diving community,” said William M. Ziefle, president and CEO of DAN Holdings."
The sailboat folks seem to have concerns about DAN's insurance as well.
SSCA Forum • View topic - DAN INSURANCE Concerns
"As an international insurance broker I have often been befuddled when asked "why not just get DAN, it's cheaper than anything you have shown us". Now I get it, you get exactly what you pay for. I think the adage, if it sounds too good to be true.... Applies here. I always recommend that people take DAN for diving accidents. That's what it is designed for. Then get medical and evacuation insurance for other medical emergencies."
Long ago i spoke to DAN concerning the out of country coverage. I asked about the gulf and carribean for say loss of gear ect. They told me that it was not out of country because so many countries provide its shore. But if the trip originated from other than the US it would be. So if you go into international waters by departing from the US you are in country, go to the same place but leave land from mexico and you are out of country. So I have trip insurance but can never use it in the gulf or carribean.
scagrotto
Contributor
Not really. I could get rich if I could get a few million people to pay me $10 premiums for my insurance that covers all relocation expenses if they win the lottery and are being bothered by people who want a handout, because despite my full coverage there would be very few claims. The question in regards to the DM and depth limit requirements is what percentage of accidents are affected by those exclusions and do those incidents have higher losses than other incidents. There's probably a greater chance of a loss as the dive gets deeper, but a policy that only covers travel and lodging expenses isn't going to have huge losses for any one claim, whereas an OOA with a near drowning could result in a very hefty hospital bill. Depending on what other (probably more likely) things are covered by the policy I'd think that dumping the DM requirement is unlikely to require a meaningful increase in the premium.
Unfortunately, insurance companies are mostly going to lump all of us into a single group. That divers who post on SB are almost certainly less likely to have a mishap because they're diving without a DM than the vacation diver who may go shore diving in Grand Cayman just isn't going to be a factor.
DAN has 3 plans for diving accident coverage, and for two of them there is no depth limit.
mcohen1021
Contributor
mcohen1021
Contributor
BTW - what if you are a DM? Are you covered by default?
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