Dive Trip Insurance: Dive Assure, DAN? Necessary?

[ReefHound]

It’s hard to determine whether you are insured appropriately until you need the insurance. Then you’ll find out if you are under insured.

No kidding. I'm tempted to make that my signature line.

 

[Gareth J]

It’s hard to determine whether you are insured appropriately until you need the insurance. Then you’ll find out if you are under insured.

Hence my caution about relying on 'normal' holiday insurance policies. I prefer to reduce the risk by using a specialist.

For what I spend on diving in a year. On the occasions I do go diving overseas, the cost of specialist diving insurance is peanuts.

 

[deepsea21]

It’s hard to determine whether you are insured appropriately until you need the insurance. Then you’ll find out if you are under insured.

Take it from someone who has waged war with insurance companies in the past... Even if you are properly insured you can have one heck of a fight on your hands to get them to pay out. I've had a health insurance company deny a bill for preventative colonoscopy that is supposed to be covered. 1st direct appeal was denied. 2nd appeal you are entitled to goes to a 3rd party by law and they concluded the insurance company was in breach of my policy.

Several years ago my wife and I were attacked by bed bugs in an Orlando hotel (turns out I am immune to bed bug bites but she looked like a mess). We learned we had been placed in a room that prior guests had reported bed bugs in and were moved out of the night before we were put in the same room. So I wage war with the hotel's insurance company as hotel management says there's nothing they can do and to speak with their insurance company... not even a refund of the cost of our stay.

Their insurance company comes out of the gate offering a few hundred dollars to cover Dr. visits, prescription drugs and tossed clothing and luggage. I was like, you have to be kidding, our entire trip was ruined and I intend to teach this hotel's management a lesson. It took months and months until we finally said we're taking management and the owner to court seeking 4x punitive damages based on gross negligence motivated by financial gain that resulted in injury. The insurance Co. settled a week later for $12,500. If we had the time to travel back and forth I would have relished our day in court with a jury as we could have pulled far more out of that insurance company than $12,500 with a jury determining damages and then multiplied by 4x punitive.

Every Claims Adjusters' compensation is based on how little they can get you to settle for, not what you are entitled to. They will lie to you. They will say "impossible". They will delay. They will not respond to emails. They will say "Then it looks as though we'll be going to court". They'll say ANYTHING to get you to give up and accept the low ball settlement they are offering. Only those who push to limit and are willing to go to court see the real $ they should have been entitled to in the first place. It all comes down to who is gonna wear out first and the insurance companies know that 99% of the time they can wear you out first.

 

[ggunn]

If insurers can avoid paying out, they will.

The large print giveth and the small print taketh away.

- Tom Waits

 

[ReefHound]

Every Claims Adjusters' compensation is based on how little they can get you to settle for, not what you are entitled to. They will lie to you. They will say "impossible". They will delay. They will not respond to emails. They will say "Then it looks as though we'll be going to court". They'll say ANYTHING to get you to give up and accept the low ball settlement they are offering. Only those who push to limit and are willing to go to court see the real $ they should have been entitled to in the first place. It all comes down to who is gonna wear out first and the insurance companies know that 99% of the time they can wear you out first.

I've been through it a few times with auto insurers. Your stress and frustration is evident in your post and that's another advantage they have. You think the adjuster loses sleep over your claim? You think they think about it when they go home? It means nothing to them. The more angry and frustrated you get, the better for them.

 

[Saxonjd]

Someone earlier asked what DAN costs and in WA the only option is the Guardian policy for $125. Policy includes $500k for coverage for dive accidents, but only $20k for non diving accidents.

 

[Guitarcrazy]

I added DAN Preferred Dive Accident Insurance for the year. I did not buy the travel insurance as all of our flights and accommodations are changeable/refundable with no fees anyway. Hoping we don't need it, but seems the prudent thing to do with as often as we like to dive. Thanks for the input.

 

[jonhall]

I originally, pre-retirement, purchased a DAN "membership" mainly for the Travel Assist benefit of $100,000 evacuation and repatriation. Had Blue Cross that would take care of health and credit card was offering travel benefits.

A few years into retirement, BC eventually quit offering individual plans so had to get something else off of the marketplace - none of which offered any health benefits for international travel. Started purchasing the cheap Allianz travel insurance when we bought our airfare so I could have $50,000 medical benefit. A few more years into retirement, I purchased DAN "dive" insurance - got the Guardian plan which covered both wife (who is now a non-diver) and myself not just for diving coverage, but also for the $20,000 benefit for non-diving accidents. Still adding the Alliance plan, the overall cost seems reasonable to me.

Having turned 65 in 2020, Medicare offers $50,000 total healthcare benefit for international travel. If things had stayed the same as pre-pandemic, I would still have kept DAN and probably the cheap Allianz travel policy.

As it is, I let my DAN membership and dive insurance lapse at the end of December planning to rejoin once I knew I would be traveling again. Haven't decided but have looked into the DiveAssure travel insurance (have to purchase a DA membership as well) as it includes diving benefits, per trip. When I get closer to a dive trip - currently COZ in late Nov/early Dec - I will again look into pricing everything - travel with medical benefits and dive insurance. Most, like World Nomad, Dive Assure, and others mentioned here don't seem to change too much, but enough that one has to do. a little research.

 

[ontdiver]

As it is, I let my DAN membership and dive insurance lapse at the end of December planning to rejoin once I knew I would be traveling again. Haven't decided but have looked into the DiveAssure travel insurance (have to purchase a DA membership as well) as it includes diving benefits, per trip. When I get closer to a dive trip - currently COZ in late Nov/early Dec - I will again look into pricing everything - travel with medical benefits and dive insurance. Most, like World Nomad, Dive Assure, and others mentioned here don't seem to change too much, but enough that one has to do. a little research.

We are in the same demographic. Is coverage with a COVID rider a consideration for you?

 

[flyboy08]

Every Claims Adjusters' compensation is based on how little they can get you to settle for, not what you are entitled to. They will lie to you. They will say "impossible". They will delay. They will not respond to emails. They will say "Then it looks as though we'll be going to court". They'll say ANYTHING to get you to give up and accept the low ball settlement they are offering. Only those who push to limit and are willing to go to court see the real $ they should have been entitled to in the first place. It all comes down to who is gonna wear out first and the insurance companies know that 99% of the time they can wear you out first.

Oh my god, not again? Where do you come up with these claimless comments! It's BAD FAITH to settle a claim under scrupulous conditions...maybe your insurance carrier is sub quality and you went with them because they were the LOW COST provide? Try CHUBB! And many other fortune 500 insurance markets that treat their claims with dignity and professionalism.

And Adjusters are NOT compensated for settling for less that what the claim is worth! That is plain illegal and subject to States Insurance practices. Again...go with a low cost provider, you may get a low cost adjuster!

I'm sorry, your broad brushing on most comments just irks me!