Divers Insurance...Yay or Nay?

[TMHeimer]

It is not an investment; it is a necessity. Either it helps you, or it helps another diver, all at low cost.
Note the home locations of those who think it is perhaps not necessary....NONE of them are in the US.
The US has a different medical system and insurance system than other places; DAN helps us fill that gap.

Agree. It is of note that it is my private Blue Cross plan that covers me for dive accidents (any emergency treatments) out of Canada (in fact, we use it for drugs, dental & vision, as except for part of drug costs, those are not covered by the province). Out of Canada coverage costs a lot. Probably similar to a private plan in the U.S., but I am no expert.

 

[Rickk]

My basic health coverage included diving as long as I am within my certification limits and do not dive solo. I would be concerned that if I was a little far from my buddy that they could call it a solo dive and deny coverage. My health insurance also has high deductibles which DAN does not have.

I have DAN coverage because it is run by people who understand the necessity for immediate action regarding dive emergencies. Dive medical professionals are available to immidetely advise local medical people on dive emergency best practices.

At my diving rate (12 to 15 a month not counting Covid lockdown time) it only adds less than USD1.50 per dive to my costs and adds immensely to my peace of mind.

That is less than my post dive coffee or beer. No one ever asks if having a post dive brew is worth it.

 

[mattia_v]

I think it also depends on where you are and what coverage you might need, and what kind of coverage other providers cover - my 'standard' (for NL) travel insurance covers emergency medevac world-wide, hyperbaric treatment, etc. on top of what my regular health insurance does not. So I don't see the point to adding DAN diving insurance for where and how I dive.

 

[rick00001967]

I agree with the part of many people being over insured, but would like to warn about the idea of being "safe" if you do local shallow dives.

just to be clear......i did not say anything about diving being "safe". although statistically speaking it is very safe.
you are correct that anyone could get hurt while diving. however, that risk can be significantly reduced or increased depending on the type of diving we practice.
obviously a diver doing a 30 min dive in warm water at 30 to 40 feet every couple of weeks during the summer would statistically be far less likely to need medical attention due to a decompression related problem compared to a diver that regularly performs decompression dives to depths below recreational limits for extended periods of time. and if they travel to do this, they may be in a remote area that does not offer proper treatment close by.

i would be willing to bet that almost no one where i live that only dives locally during summer months has purchased extra dive insurance. but many divers who travel and / or practice decompression diving do have it in one form or another. like it or not, any insurance is all about playing the odds. if you feel you are highly unlikely to need medical treatment for a decompression injury then why would you buy insurance ? the fear that something unlikely will happen is exactly what insurance companies count on. thats how they make a living.

 

[Snoweman]

I was diving in Coz over Labor day. We spent the last full day of our vacation time at the beach. When we got back, I took a shower and went to put some cream on my dry elbows. I had a massive bruise on my right elbow that was not there the day before. There was no explanation for it. I had not banged it, and did nothing but take a few swims at the beach and drink beer and water. It freaked me out a little, and I would have just watched what it would do over 24 hours, but we were flying out of CUN the next day.

I called DAN and explained the situation. They didn't feel that it was a type of the bends, but recommended a hospital in town if I wanted to get it checked out. All of us went to dinner, then my wife and I headed to the hospital. I was second in line to be seen, and the doctor had been by while I was checking in. When I went in for the initial exam, the doctor commented that he overheard me say DAN had recommended the hospital. He looked at the bruise. He said he would normally not think anything of it, but he had just started diving and wanted the hyperbaric specialist to look at it. He took a picture of it, and then went out of the room. He came back with a wheelchair and said they were going to check me into the emergency room while the hyperbaric specialist came in from home to examine the wound.

They wheeled me down the hall, and had me get up on a gurney while they took my blood pressure, put saline in my arm and an oxygen mask over my nose. I think it was a PA that was asking most of the questions and doing the examination. The ER doc was always around and explaining different things to me and the PA. Lots of eye tests, simple cognitive tests and waiting while the specialist came to the hospital. At one time, I had three doctors (specialist, ER and check-in doc) in my ER area. of all the tests, I struggled with the balance test. But, that is normal for me (6'4" and 250 lbs). I showed the specialist (also a diver) the dive profiles I had download on to my phone. The specialist said he was 99% positive it wasn't skin bends, but wanted to keep me on 02 until the saline had run out.

I don't remember when the administrator that checked me in came to my gurney (before or after the specialist), but she wanted to let me know her shift was done. She also wanted to let me know DAN had accepted my claim, and we would not have a bill to pay on the way out. I have been a member of DAN since 2012, when I got certified. I always make sure to renew before a dive trip, and take pictures of my DAN card on my phone (along with my certification cards) in case of something like this. As I have entered my 50's I have upgraded to the top tier plan. I have no idea what my hospital bill was, but I am pretty sure it was more than eight years of dues and premiums. I won't dive without it.

 

[Ana]

....
however, that risk can be significantly reduced or increased depending on the type of diving we practice.
obviously a diver doing a 30 min dive in warm water at 30 to 40 feet every couple of weeks during the summer would statistically be far less likely to need medical attention due to a decompression related problem compared to a diver that regularly performs decompression dives to depths below recreational limits for extended periods of time. and if they travel to do this, they may be in a remote area that does not offer proper treatment close by.
...
the fear that something unlikely will happen is exactly what insurance companies count on. thats how they make a living.

I didn't meant to twist your words and for sure what you're saying was my philosophy until a couple of months ago.

Diving in the 80's I followed few rules because I was invencible. Continuing the trend when we got our boat, my husband and I did very agressive diving. Because of that, not only we made sure to be up to date with insurance, we equiped the boat with everything potentially needed for anything going south, including of course an oxygen kit. 14 years went by without a glitch and trust me we did some stupid stuff that I'm not particularly proud of.
Anyways we got the need for agressive dives out of our systems and now we do peaceful reef dives within 45 minutes from our backyard. Stopped dive trips and looking at our typical profiles decided it was a waste to maintain the dive insurance because, really... what can happen on those lame dives we do? they are so harmless we don't even bother with NITROX.
We love what we do but let's face it, they are baby dives.

So this one day a friend comes with us and shares this profile with me, the only difference between her dive and mine, she was doing NITROX to my air and I did all the lobstering while she just watched. we both got back on board after doing everything right and boom.
Her legs started tingling and after 14 years I used my Oxygen kit.

The following day we renewed our DAN insurance. Considering than our US medical insurance sometimes chockes when I want brand name instead of generic, I get the feeling they will give me a hard time with the bill of a chamber ride.
If I had better coverage on my medical insurance and more confidence on them, I'd skip the dive insurance. However, I won't understimate our lame dive profiles.

 

[TMHeimer]

just to be clear......i did not say anything about diving being "safe". although statistically speaking it is very safe.
you are correct that anyone could get hurt while diving. however, that risk can be significantly reduced or increased depending on the type of diving we practice.
obviously a diver doing a 30 min dive in warm water at 30 to 40 feet every couple of weeks during the summer would statistically be far less likely to need medical attention due to a decompression related problem compared to a diver that regularly performs decompression dives to depths below recreational limits for extended periods of time. and if they travel to do this, they may be in a remote area that does not offer proper treatment close by.

i would be willing to bet that almost no one where i live that only dives locally during summer months has purchased extra dive insurance. but many divers who travel and / or practice decompression diving do have it in one form or another. like it or not, any insurance is all about playing the odds. if you feel you are highly unlikely to need medical treatment for a decompression injury then why would you buy insurance ? the fear that something unlikely will happen is exactly what insurance companies count on. thats how they make a living.

I agree with you and the previous post by mattia_v.
I also dive locally almost always and USUALLY not deeper than 30'. Also almost always solo, so I'd have to be able to get myself in a position to call DAN in the first place if I had an accident. Thus I'd probably be OK.
I never take flight cancellation insurance. If I have to cancel a flight and swallow the cost at this point I'm still way ahead. Of course, you can more easily die on scuba than from other activities.
For years (up to age about 36) I took no out of country travel insurance when spending weeks/months in the U.S. -- Figured I was young and just wouldn't get seriously sick. Was lucky--at 36 I got approved for VISA Gold card with out of Canada emergency insurance for a month and used it THAT YEAR, saving me $10,000 in hospital fees. But, how much in premiums did I save from age 23 when I moved to Canada, to age 36?

 

[Snoweman]

I didn't meant to twist your words and for sure what you're saying was my philosophy until a couple of months ago.

Diving in the 80's I followed few rules because I was invencible. Continuing the trend when we got our boat, my husband and I did very agressive diving. Because of that, not only we made sure to be up to date with insurance, we equiped the boat with everything potentially needed for anything going south, including of course an oxygen kit. 14 years went by without a glitch and trust me we did some stupid stuff that I'm not particularly proud of.
Anyways we got the need for agressive dives out of our systems and now we do peaceful reef dives within 45 minutes from our backyard. Stopped dive trips and looking at our typical profiles decided it was a waste to maintain the dive insurance because, really... what can happen on those lame dives we do? they are so harmless we don't even bother with NITROX.
We love what we do but let's face it, they are baby dives.

So this one day a friend comes with us and shares this profile with me, the only difference between her dive and mine, she was doing NITROX to my air and I did all the lobstering while she just watched. we both got back on board after doing everything right and boom.
Her legs started tingling and after 14 years I used my Oxygen kit.

The following day we renewed our DAN insurance. Considering than our US medical insurance sometimes chockes when I want brand name instead of generic, I get the feeling they will give me a hard time with the bill of a chamber ride.
If I had better coverage on my medical insurance and more confidence on them, I'd skip the dive insurance. However, I won't understimate our lame dive profiles.

How did your friend turn out?

 

[living4experiences]

All of my diving is outside my home state and out of the U.S. Ever since I got certified, I carry DAN insurance. I've had to utilize it three times and was so thankful to have the "hot line" number to call because you're piped in to a dive medicine specialist immediately. It's great peace of mind to know I'm covered. I have the worst health insurance, so the plan I purchase covers non-diving accidents as well, even if you're not on a dive trip. As a routine practice before I travel, I check the location of the nearest chamber to my dive location.

 

[Ana]

How did your friend turn out?

After a 6 hour chamber ride, the doctors said she was good to go.

She did everything right as far as the diving. Most likely she was dehydrated or maybe she was somehow off that day.

The technicians in the chamber told her that more than half the people that end up there, did nothing wrong during their dives.