DCS and no DAN - WHAT NEXT?

[flots am]

I must say I was surprised, because I thought DAN was taking this charge up-front. That's the way they advertise like "we pay", not like "your existing insurance will pay, and if they don't, then we will". What if my health plan is one self-funded through a company plan? The future premiums would go up by taking that hit of an invoice. So, just saying, when dealing with any insurance, read the fine print.

DAN guarantees that the chamber will get paid and they've heard of DAN. Your primary might be"Blue Cross of Bugtussle Arkansas" which the chamber operator hasn't heard of and has no interest in dealing with.

Your primary medical insurer might be quite happy to reimburse you for your expenses, however that isn't helpful if you can't get treated when you need it. The chamber operator doesn't know if your primary will pay. They know that DAN will. When you're diving far from home, having something that's recognized as a payment method and who can arrange for treatment is very valuable.

flots

 

[tracydr]

Unfortunately, if you have regular aches and pains, it becomes difficult to decipher what is normal and what is DCS. I was dealing with pain in my knees when I went to Catalina, then spent the week climbing stairs to my third floor room, hauling gear and lugging myself up the dive park steps in dive gear.
I assumed that my knees were just stiff from the knee pain that I was already having issues with. I'm still not exactly sure if I was bent or not, since my ortho doctor doesn't think DCS played a part in my bone problem.
DCS is a tough call, unless its obvious. And, when you have arthritis, or achy joints, it can be an even tougher call. One thing I learned though, is that I will be much more likely to play it safe and go to a chamber than I would ever have in the past.

 

[flots am]

DCS is a tough call, unless its obvious. And, when you have arthritis, or achy joints, it can be an even tougher call. One thing I learned though, is that I will be much more likely to play it safe and go to a chamber than I would ever have in the past.

I'm in the same boat. Generally things are just fine, but if a big weather change rolls through or I've been doing something abusive like cleaning out the garage to make room for the car <cough>more SCUBA gear</cough>, the next day I feel like I'm 100 years old when I get out of bed or up out of a chair.

I have no idea how I would tell the difference between that and DCS.

Any suggestions?

 

[avm1310]

No doubt this is of great value. Having a recognizable brand name, who is trusted. I was just saying that in my case, the chamber had a link to a US based office ( like a claim verification and processing) which told me my United Health care would pay it and produced a pre-cert number very quickly. DAN said something like no problem too. Later after coming out of the tank, I was told that DAN wanted to talk to me, so I called. An insurance person told me that they hoped I was well but not to take any more treatments or local advice until they had a chance to approve it. It turns out my Dr. Asked me to rest and next morning very early said I probably didn't need any more treatments. When I said , great, let's call DAN, he said wait- if you do they will tell you to go home and not come back here, that's their insurance voice, we get it all the time. He asked me to come back in the afternoon for a reassessment, and if I needed another chamber dive he'd have their US office get United health care approve it. dAN appeared to have blocked continued treatments on other divers to save money and divers wound up in a chamber in Houston after being bent flying. I got home with only one treatment, and about 4 months later I got a letter from a Texas company that worked for the chamber saying my primary insurance paid all, no need to file with DAN. So, if I had a small company self-funded plan, that would have been a back breaker for our future premiums.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I for one would like to see some physical backup for this if possible. If this was SOP, then wouldn't it seem reasonable to be finding more bent divers that suffered similarly?

 

[seasher l]

Hi, I am an RN from NY, diving for 21 years, DAN member since 1994 and I also work as a tender in the SSSnetwork chamber in Cozumel. I have not seen anyone turned away for lack of insurance. They accept many kinds of insurance. As a previous member said, they have an office in Dallas with an insurance expert who is familiar with insurance from all over the world. It would be a real shame if divers with DCS symptoms don't go for treatment because they don't have DAN and are afraid their insurance won't cover.

I also have some concerns about DAN too. I have heard from some patients and locals that DAN no longer gives options of where to go for treatment, that they refer divers to their own hospital. I am lucky, I live, dive and work here so I know where to go. But I dive elsewhere too, and what if I got bent and needed a chamber somewhere else? Would they give me unbiased advice on where to go? Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[drbill]

What happens if a diver experiences DCS and doesn't have DAN? Potential bankruptcy depending on the diver's financial situation. Personally I haven't dived without DAN for about two decades. DAN didn't exist in my early years (1961-1980) and I wasn't diving as intensely in the 1980s. The fortunate thing is we have an excellent recompression chamber right here on the island.

 

[seasher]

Unfortunately, if you have regular aches and pains, it becomes difficult to decipher what is normal and what is DCS. I was dealing with pain in my knees when I went to Catalina, then spent the week climbing stairs to my third floor room, hauling gear and lugging myself up the dive park steps in dive gear.
I assumed that my knees were just stiff from the knee pain that I was already having issues with. I'm still not exactly sure if I was bent or not, since my ortho doctor doesn't think DCS played a part in my bone problem.
DCS is a tough call, unless its obvious. And, when you have arthritis, or achy joints, it can be an even tougher call. One thing I learned though, is that I will be much more likely to play it safe and go to a chamber than I would ever have in the past.

As a hyperbaric tender, I have seen this scenario many times. A diver who normally has pain anyway is having pain after a dive, often in the same part of his body that he usually has pain. So he thinks it is probably due to lifting tanks, gear bags etc. What brings them to the chamber to get checked is that the pain persists or gets worse, feels ¨different¨or stronger than usual, or they develop other symptoms like tingling, rash, fatigue, weakness, etc.

Dr. Tracy gives good advice, play it safe and get checked. The US Navy Diving Manual, under Rules for Recompression Treatment, says ¨NEVER fail to treat doubtful cases¨. (Table 20-1)

 

[ANTONIOCABO]

As a liveaboard dive Master operating in the Sea of Cortez and Socorro; I know for a fact that DAN América is not reliable as a Dive Insurance.
We've been left abandoned, denied medical air evacuation, and with our DCS patients on board suffering more for the uncertainty of their future than the DCS itself.
SSS network has always been a good source of suport and they have organized, arranged, and evacuated our divers with the help of the Mexican Navy and local authorities, but DAN America is consistently trying to avoid evacuating and treating costs in this part of México.
On the other hand, european and japanese divers have always been promptly supported by DAN Europe and DAN Japan.


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[flots am]

As a liveaboard dive Master operating in the Sea of Cortez and Socorro; I know for a fact that DAN América is not reliable as a Dive Insurance.
We've been left abandoned, denied medical air evacuation, and with our DCS patients on board suffering more for the uncertainty of their future than the DCS itself.
SSS network has always been a good source of suport and they have organized, arranged, and evacuated our divers with the help of the Mexican Navy and local authorities, but DAN America is consistently trying to avoid evacuating and treating costs in this part of México.

So you're saying that you had multiple, actual, current, insured DAN members with DCS symptoms, contacted DAN on their emergency telephone number, and were refused?

I have a hard time believing this because nobody else seems to be complaining.

If DAN were denying emergencies just a few hundred miles from the California border, SCUBABoard would be getting blasted with complaints.

flots