DocVikingo: Dive insurance..AGAIN?

[DocVikingo]

Hi Swamp Rat,

Yea, me, too.

I've badly mislead you in my statement that DAN's 50 mile from permanent residence clause applies to all benefits, not just transport.

I went back & read the fine print again--it's been a while. The 50 mile from permanent residence clause only applies to TravelAssist benefits, the most important of which is emergency medical evacuation. The medical benefits, and other coverage such as lost/damaged gear, etc., are NOT restricted by the distance provision.

I'm terribly sorry.

DocVikingo

 

[Swamp Rat]

Thanks Doc.
I saw where this cost could be into the thousands of dollars so I should still go with either Divesafe or padi. Besides the people I dive with would not know to call Dan first. I would be on the Dan policy if it was not for the 50 mile and call before transport I like all the extras Dan provides. I suppose its better to be covered where you dive than to have a magazine to read.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Swamp Rat,

If you like the DAN policies, don't be put off by the transport issue. You likely won't need a medical air evac when you're diving less than 50 miles from home.

As for those you dive with, it certainly is appropriate to inform your buddy that you have DAN, and what to do in case of a dive emergency. You also can purchase a DAN dog tag or ID plate containing your name, member # & the hot line number, to be worn around your neck/on your BC.

Best of luck.

DocVikingo

 

[Rick Murchison]

Originally posted by DocVikingo
Hi Rick,

In the policy that you have designed, it appears that deductibles are "tiny."

Well, compared to total health care costs in the event of serious injury, "tiny" can be a pretty substantial amount, can't it? In my case it's $450 for the family for the year, and most years that gets used up with routine stuff - if it's a healthy year, the insurance companies make out like bandits... in a "surgery" year $450 is less than "tiny"... it is "nothing!"
Rick

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi Rick,

And $450 buys 4 years of DAN Preferred, or 7 years of DAN Master, with money left over for a few cold ones.

To your health.

DocVikingo

 

[kelpmermaid]

You know, Doc, it's not easy to follow DAN on this at all. Being a coastal southern California diver, I have always been concerned about how to interpret their policy, and I can still see where in my particular circumstances PADI's plan might be better. Here is the scenario:

Coastal dweller dives at Catalina (you know the song, "26 miles across the sea...") and requires hyperbaric treatment. She is taken to the Chamber on Catalina Island, where she is successfully treated, but since this is also near drowning, she is next airlifted to a hosptial on the mainland for futher treatment. Since all of this took place less than 50 miles from home, who pays for the secondary medical evaluation? Is there anywhere else in the country this could happen? If I lived inland in Pasadena, though, would I then be covered for the evacuation? Strange.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Originally posted by kelpmermaid
You know, Doc, it's not easy to follow DAN on this at all. Being a coastal southern California diver, I have always been concerned about how to interpret their policy, and I can still see where in my particular circumstances PADI's plan might be better. Here is the scenario:

Coastal dweller dives at Catalina (you know the song, "26 miles across the sea...") and requires hyperbaric treatment. She is taken to the Chamber on Catalina Island, where she is successfully treated, but since this is also near drowning, she is next airlifted to a hosptial on the mainland for futher treatment. Since all of this took place less than 50 miles from home, who pays for the secondary medical evaluation? Is there anywhere else in the country this could happen? If I lived inland in Pasadena, though, would I then be covered for the evactuation? Strange.

Whew!
That confuses me, too... What I'd do in your case is to pose the question first to your regular medical insurance provider and see what they cover, then ask DAN what they'd pick up based on what your primary provider doesn't. I'd do it all with letters so I had it in writing.
The bottom line is that you want to cover yourself and your family members with some sort of catastrophic cap that you can endure without bankrupting your family in the event of a serious [diving] injury. In my case, that's a three layer plan of primary, supplimental and DAN. Yours may be very different, depending on your employer, your medical history, etc., etc., etc.
I'll be curious to see what you find out.
Rick

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi kelpmermaid,

I have presented your exact concern to the capo de capo de tutti of DAN insurance, Betty Orr, a nice woman with whom I have worked closely on a number of dive insurance pieces written for Undercurrent http://www.undercurrent.org/ over the years. Here's the slightly edited word from her:

"Hey Doc,

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have explained this. I could go on a really great trout fishing trip to New Zealand.

The 50 mile exclusion is for the TravelAssist benefit only. It is set up to prevent individuals from using the TravelAssist plan to replace local ambulance service in their home area. Many communities charge several hundred, even several thousand dollars to access the local EMS/Ambulance teams and charge this per occurrence. This is unfortunate for people living in those communities, but TravelAssist was not designed to provide that type of service.

But, there is no worry for a DAN insured who is injured in a covered in-water skin or scuba diving accident within the 50 mile limit, and is taken by local transportation to a local medical center that determines the diver needs to be moved to another facility (recompression or otherwise). If they have either the Standard, Master or Preferred Plan, their transportation to the nearest medical facility capable of handling their problem is taken care of by our insurance.

We view the DAN membership and insurance as a package, working together to provide the diver coverage in the event of any diving emergency, regardless of where they are.

Betty"

Hope this was helpful.

DocVikingo

 

[kelpmermaid]

And thanks to Betty Orr for the explanation. It is good to know that there would be coverage under those circumstances. If people keep asking the same question, though, you would think that DAN would consider spelling it out somewhere exactly the way Betty just did. The more I read the materials, the less clear it was to me. Thanks again!

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi kelpmermaid,

De nada.

I agree it's not very clear in their promulgated policy.

Be well.

DocVikingo