Dive Insurance. Why?

[reefvagabond]

So it seems I have become a regular diver, diving every weekend if I can. Recently the topic of dive insurance came up with one of my more experienced buddies. I said I didn't have dive insurance and was admonished for not having it especially because I have been diving frequently.

I don't understand what is the benefit of having diving specific insurance since my medical insurance already cover hyperbaric chamber treatments. So can someone tell me why is diving specific insurance like DAN worth it if you already have medical insurance?

 

[TSandM]

Does your medical insurance cover the cost of airlifting you to the nearest chamber? Does it work outside the US? Does your insurance company know where the nearest operational chamber to you is, and will it help coordinate getting you there?

One of my good friends broke her arm on a dive boat in Moorea. DAN coordinated getting her airlifted to Papeete for x-rays. They later coordinated (and paid for) her first class airfare to get home to have surgery done. No medical insurance was going to cover all of that, and the relief my friends felt to have someone else figuring out how to get everything done was intense.

 

[Thiad]

You might want to read what their insurance offers and see how it compares to what you already have.

https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/cdn/3156_1.pdf

For example, emergency evacuation is something a normal medical plan probably won't cover. Having known of someone that required this service, the costs were in the 5 figures and completely covered. Too, it's not only about covering a chamber ride. Many insurance plans may wince at paying for coverage overseas - or flat out refuse. You truly need to understand what you're policy covers and what they don't, and then hope they actually do when you need it.

I think it's a pretty cheap policy for what you get.

 

[ff1diver]

Get the extra DAN insurance...it would pay for itself in the long run...especially if you have a diving accident!!!

 

[Thalassamania]

DAN Insurance is secondary insurance, if you have good coverage, and it pays air evac, and you don't dive outside of the USA ... you do not need DAN Insurance, though it would be nice if you were a DAN member even though they will make chamber connections and such even if you are not.

 

[Mndiv]

I agree. I am a DAN member and with the standard plan at something like 35 bucks per year, its totally worth it!

 

[mathauck0814]

Even if you have great coverage, the odds of you getting to an ER that has specific knowledge of how to treat dive related injury are (in my opinion) less than optimal. DAN fills the gaps, and for the cost of a decent dinner it provides peace of mind when you're out of country doing what you love.

 

[FuzzyNutz]

The premium coverage from DAN is only 100 bucks a year... and the cheapest plan is 35... why would you not have it? Here's a fun fact for you, too: if you get locked up in a foreign country for a non felony offense, they give you $5000 in bail money, lol. You gotta pay that back, but at least you're getting out! hahaha.

Not even dive related, but if you're just 50 miles away from home and get into a serious accident (hiking, rock climbing, skiing, etc.), they will evacuate you. They won't cover medical expense in that situation (because it's non diving), but you'll be rescued.

And of course, the diving benefits are very good. If you can contact them, they'll save you! Are you 5,000 miles out at sea and in trouble? Helicopter is on the way! They'll cover all of your medical bills and chamber rides. Find you local doctors knowledgable in dive medicine. And they send you a pretty cool magazine every 3 months! Oh and remember, they bail you out of jail!

Edit: Most medical insurance won't cover you outside of the US, but DAN will cover you from anywhere in the world. Since diving for a lot of people is very travel intensive, this is a huge benefit.

 

[mselenaous]

If you do a search on DAN insurance you will find 100s of threads and stories.
This is one of those threads that might convince you, read post #52
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/279406-dive-insurance-not.html


Another story:
A friend in SoCal got clipped in the knee by another diver's tank while doing a shore dive through some less than cooperative surf. He had medical insurance that covered alot of the ACL & MCL repairs, rehab, etc. DAN picked up the co-pays, deductibles, and all the un-covered incidentals like crutches. Additionally he had gotten DAN travel insurance for a liveaboard trip 3 weeks away that he had to cancel and DAN paid for this. He was in rehab for 8 months.

I got an email from a student I had just certified to go on a dive trip to the Maldives. Barotrauma to the ear - DAN coordinated treatment for him on the remote island of Grand Centara. "Hello My Name I Peggy" at his insurance wasn't much help other than to say pay for the treatment out of pocket, submit copies of your receipts (with the currency conversion) and medical record translated into English with a claim form # xyz.

In the US, if you have an asymptomatic near miss incident such as an uncontrolled ascent from 50ft. on a charter dive boat, the crew puts you on O2 as a precaution and goes back to port. Due to Liability, the crew will NOT release you except to paramedics, who will NOT release you except to the Emergency Room, and the ER won't release you until a physician clears you. After an expensive "bus" ride followed by two hours and $1200 later you can go home feeling much poorer after deductibles/co-pays. This happened a couple years ago to one of my shop customers diving in new gear. I spent my afternoon waiting with him to drive him back to his car.

DAN Insurance - I won't dive without it.

 

[koozemani]

In our case, very few of our dives are in country. We signed up with DAN not only for the medical coverage, but also the trip and gear coverage. As was mentioned in an earlier post, as cheap as it is, can you afford not to?

One use for a serious incident will pay for a lifetime of paying premiums.