...which touches on the 'moral hazard' concept......would donating $ essentially be subsidizing irresponsible behavior, thus encouraging future irresponsible behavior ? Also, with respect to insurance, those of us who have (and pay good $ for) insurance, feel it unjust to have to pay our own way to have access to health/medical resources while others 'freeload' ? I could probably afford more actual scuba diving if I didn't have to pay my pesky taxes/insurance....while others don't have those costs and get to have fun at the expense of the financially responsible people ?
.....the US economy (and the European economy) are all still essentially on their knees over the issue of moral hazard......the subsidy of irresponsible behavior......the US taxpayer bailing out all the banks.....Europe bailing out Greece and others......a living breathing example of moral hazard that's impacting all of us daily !!!
...yeah, I know it sounds harsh, especially when the 'victims' divers families/kids are involved, who are innocent bystanders, of course......but I'm putting this out there anyway, because I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking this......
I don't have any company subsidized benefits, I pay for my insurance (and it's not cheap) and then still pay way too much out of pocket whenever I actually have to go to a doctor or get an Rx. I don't take for granted that I am fortunate enough to have the finances to do so, and to take vacations, afford a couple pricey hobbies, etc. In one of my jobs, believe me, I see more then I want to about what's wrong with our medical system. I also see that a lot of those you might put in the "freeloader" bucket are actually hard working, honest people with no other option. When you're at the top of the ladder and never spend any time with people who aren't, it's easy to think that.
Mexico, and many other dive destinations, aren't at all like the US when it comes to health care, wages, etc. I don't want to judge because I know nothing about this shop's business. I don't know what their earnings are, overhead expenses, what they pay their staff, if the staff is f/t with any benefits or just long-term freelancers. Like I'm sure many following the threads about this accidents, I find it surprising and a little baffling that an American dive shop owner/dm/instructor would be completely uninsured. No medical coverage at all. Forget about just for diving and the risks of injury with that, but if she had any kind of accident or illness requiring medical attention beyond just a doctor's office visit, she wasn't insured and considering the current situation, probably wouldn't have had the means to pay for it. I don't know enough about the Mexican healthcare system to know what Mexican nationals are entitled to and whether or not they need or commonly have any sort of private medical insurance.
I don't know what dive master's earn, but for as long as I've been diving, regardless of the destination, I hear over and over that it's not much... not sure what that means, or as compared to what? I have no idea how realistic it is in Cozumel for a dm with a family to support to be able to afford additional insurance. To us this kind of stuff is just a required line item in our personal budgeting, but there, I don't know.
I don't agree with rewarding stupidity. I do, however, have compassion and know that nobody is perfect. We ALL make mistakes and any one of us, at anytime, could find ourselves in a position where we need help, whether we contributed to getting ourselves in that position or not. As bad as our economy is, and as much as we may have lost in the market over the last year or so, if we are still planning dive trips then we are still way ahead of millions of other people who are trying to figure out what bills they can hold off on paying so that they can get groceries this week.
Kids don't choose their circumstances and I don't feel they should ever have to pay for their parent's mistakes. Everyone has to do what they feel comfortable with. I'm sure that after reading the alleged details of this accident, a lot of people did change their minds and chose not to donate. That's their choice. I would just say that if they're ever in a position of needing any kind of help from strangers, family or friends, I hope they are ready for the same level of scrutiny and if they have children, I hope they're prepared to explain to them that because mummy or daddy made a mistake, they have to also pay the price.
