DAN insurance seems like a no-brainer.

[divad]

Apologies to anyone with no brain (I'm getting there). Anyway, I just renewed my policy and it seems like a steal; you get the best insurance, painlessly support research, and get the most readable dive magazine with the best pictures. Am I missing something?
(besides everything)

 

[cb5150]

No, you're not missing anything. I wouldn't dive without DAN.

...and apology accepted.

 

[vladimir]

I have it, and I recommend it.

But if you buy it from DAN Asia Pacific, you pay roughly twice as much for the same coverage. Assuming the US policy is fairly priced, the Asia Pacific policy is probably not.

While the ~$100 you pay might seem like a steal, you are insuring against an extremely low probability event, and often a low-impact event. Like other profitable insurance operators*, DAN takes in more money than it pays out, as you would expect, so I would not characterize the coverage as a "steal."

There seems to be a great demand among divers for the peace of mind the coverage offers, and they must do a great job delivering the service, because their customers seems unusually happy with the product.

*These policies are offered through DAN Services, Inc., a for-profit, wholly-owned subsidiary of DAN, which is a licensed insurance agency and Third Party Administrator ("TPA").

 

[Lorenzoid]

Actuarially speaking, I'm sure DAN is no better or worse a bargain than "regular" medical insurance. I think many divers feel that a major difference between DAN and other insurance is that it's integrated with the DAN hotline (not that having DAN insurance is a prerequisite for using the hotline). Not just peace of mind that one's bills will be paid but peace of mind that there is someone on the other end of that line who is an expert in diving-related injuries and can navigate the injured diver and local medical personnel through the whole affair. This is what makes DAN insurance especially attractive to me.

 

[Tortuga68]

if you buy it from DAN Asia Pacific, you pay roughly twice as much for the same coverage. Assuming the US policy is fairly priced, the Asia Pacific policy is probably not.

The AP policy is also not as good as the US one; there are training, depth & gas restrictions for technical divers.

Unfortunately the US policy is not available to AP residents.

 

[vladimir]

Actuarially speaking, I'm sure DAN is no better or worse a bargain than "regular" medical insurance.

As a former actuary, I don't know if that's true or not. I can say that narrowly targeted insurance is generally more expensive than regular insurance. This reflects smaller economies of scale, higher marketing costs, and often, less competition.

 

[knotical]

Since the optional insurance is secondary insurance, its value varies with what kind of primary medical coverage you have.
As for basic membership, I'm a big fan.

 

[oldschoolto]

I think not having to argue with the company that you need a chamber ride is worth the price....

Jim....

 

[divad]

Since the optional insurance is secondary insurance, its value varies with what kind of primary medical coverage you have.
As for basic membership, I'm a big fan.

I have no other insurance. When I got an ear infection diving in a lake, they simply asked for copies of the doctor's bill and the pharmacy bill, about $200.00. Done over the phone in about 5 minutes.

 

[drbill]

I've had it for decades and never have had to use it but I wouldn't dive without it even here at home.