Dive Trip Insurance: Dive Assure, DAN? Necessary?

[jonhall]

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

I think there is so much to find out about when it comes to that. Short answer is yes. I was thinking early on some destinations required it. Some of the travel insurances that include diving do also cover COVID, like DiveAssure and World Nomad. As most insurances have covered "sicknesses," I guess I would want to know the following:
*Does sickness include COVID? (as mentioned policies are already addressing this)
*Will the coverage include variants of COVID?
*Will the coverage be good if I travel to a place that has issued an advisory against travel or if the U.S. has issued the advisory against travel to a place?
*Will having a vaccination become a requirement for insurance? (not so important to me - I'm going to have it before I go anywhere)
*What the insurance covers in the way of cancellation/interruption, testing positive before the return trip home and COVID sickness during the trip?
Although I stated earlier that policies don't tend to change much, as I typed this it hit me the COVID part may be a part that could change often.

And Adjusters are NOT compensated for settling for less that what the claim is worth!

I wasn't going to respond to this but since you did and I agree with you, here goes. My most recent experience was less than 2 years ago. Shingles needed replacing due to weather damage. Through the years the wood decking had become pretty bad with some cracks/knotholes that concerned me, but didn't concern any roofer. My shingles were also better than standard shingles. Several roofers told me insurance wouldn't cover what I wanted - new decking for the whole roof and a higher grade of shingles. The adjuster marked damaged shingles on our house, 2 sheds that I expected to pay for myself so they would match the house, and looked in our attic at boards I could point out that were cracked. Also had interior damage with some leak spots. The adjuster pointed several leaks out, including things I thought he was imagining. To shorten this, everything was covered and I came out ahead. Great adjuster in this case.

 

[Dan]

I wasn't going to respond to this but since you did and I agree with you, here goes. My most recent experience was less than 2 years ago. Shingles needed replacing due to weather damage. Through the years the wood decking had become pretty bad with some cracks/knotholes that concerned me, but didn't concern any roofer. My shingles were also better than standard shingles. Several roofers told me insurance wouldn't cover what I wanted - new decking for the whole roof and a higher grade of shingles. The adjuster marked damaged shingles on our house, 2 sheds that I expected to pay for myself so they would match the house, and looked in our attic at boards I could point out that were cracked. Also had interior damage with some leak spots. The adjuster pointed several leaks out, including things I thought he was imagining. To shorten this, everything was covered and I came out ahead. Great adjuster in this case.

Similar situation for me. When hurricane Ike hit Houston in 2008, I thought my house was spared, no leak, just some shingles were on my driveway. Allstate adjuster came & inspected my roof and told me that they’d replaced the whole roof, not just some patches.

 

[deepsea21]

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!

Absolutely false Flyboy. Claims Adjusters are paid to settle claims. My friend of 25+ years is a quant jock who majored in actuarial studies and has been working for insurance companies for years developing their models of probable claims vs. payouts for every type of insurance that can be offered. Home / Auto / Life / Renters / etc. the list goes on an on. At the end of the day there is nothing criminal going on because THE INSURED end up agreeing to a settlement at some point. The algorythins tell them what this claim may cost spit out a # that you never know about, and it is the adjuster's job to get you to settle below that number. No, they aren't denying you benefits, they are working off that #. This is how the insurance world works and how they collectively report billions of dollars in profit every year.

Now, this will totally freak you out... as much as I HATE insurance companies, PRU resides in my stock portfolio. Because while I may hate insurance co's as a consumer, I love them as in investment and the dividends I receive because they are so great at screwing people.

 

[flyboy08]

Absolutely false Flyboy. Claims Adjusters are paid to settle claims. My friend of 25+ years is a quant jock who majored in actuarial studies and has been working for insurance companies for years developing their models of probable claims vs. payouts for every type of insurance that can be offered. Home / Auto / Life / Renters / etc. the list goes on an on. At the end of the day there is nothing criminal going on because THE INSURED end up agreeing to a settlement at some point. The algorythins tell them what this claim may cost spit out a # that you never know about, and it is the adjuster's job to get you to settle below that number. No, they aren't denying you benefits, they are working off that #. This is how the insurance world works and how they collectively report billions of dollars in profit every year.

Now, this will totally freak you out... as much as I HATE insurance companies, PRU resides in my stock portfolio. Because while I may hate insurance co's as a consumer, I love them as in investment and the dividends I receive because they are so great at screwing people.

Lol..I have a friend..thats factual. Read the two posts above....you crack me up...

 

[krbailey]

If you don't mind saying, what happened to cause the DCS?

Several factors. According to my computer, I was well within my limits diving 32 or 36 Nitrox. However, being overweight, out of shape, dehydrated, tired etc. were major contributors.

On a positive note, down 80lbs since the incident.

 

[Guitarcrazy]

Several factors. According to my computer, I was well within my limits diving 32 or 36 Nitrox. However, being overweight, out of shape, dehydrated, tired etc. were major contributors.

On a positive note, down 80lbs since the incident.

Thanks for the reply. And congratulations on the weight loss. I am 51 now, and while I don't currently have any issues, I know they are likely not far away. Always interested to hear the circumstances behind an incident, to better prepare myself. There but for the grace of God...….

 

[krbailey]

Thanks for the reply. And congratulations on the weight loss. I am 51 now, and while I don't currently have any issues, I know they are likely not far away. Always interested to hear the circumstances behind an incident, to better prepare myself. There but for the grace of God...….

Happened 2 years ago when I was 56.

 

[Ryan Neely]

I haven't read this entire thread (only the first three pages), so forgive me if this is repeated information:

My wife and I have a primary medical insurance where we are in the U.S. that does not cover the expense of ANY medical procedure outside the U.S., so having a travel insurance that does is paramount for us.

A few years ago on Bonaire my wife collapsed after dinner at Rum Runners. We were not divers, yet, and had been on the island to snorkel and experience a few discover scuba dives so we could get the lay of the land, see if this diving thing was something we wanted to get into.

Because we weren't divers, we didn't have a DAN membership or travel insurance through them.

Anyway, when she passed out, an ambulance was called. There was an emergency room visit. ECGs were performed. It wasn't until she was finally being discharged that I discovered our standard medical policy wouldn't cover the incident.

The travel insurance we had at the time was through AAA, and their policy is to reimburse approved expenses rather than work with medical care providers directly, I was sweating bullets thinking I was going to have to wipe out my bank account and call friends and family for a loan to pay for everything.

Coming from the states, the ambulance ride alone would have wiped me out.

Turns out, the entire endeavor totaled $420. I was so relieved I almost didn't turn it over to AAA for reimbursement.

Anyway, I guess what I'm saying here, or reiterating, is read the policy. Make sure you'll be covered.

In this case, her hospitalization was not related to diving so additional dive insurance wouldn't have helped her, but I always tend to lean toward "what if . . . ?"

 

[mediumone]

BUT:
Scuba diving is covered unless:

1) "the depth exceeds 130 feet or if You are not PADI or NAUI certified to dive and a dive master is not present during the dive",

Does the DM have to be in the water with you? Cozumel is unusual; I hear that many (most?) other places if there is a DM s/he stays on the boat. What if you are shore diving, a la Bonaire?

I read that as saying if you're not certified, you need to dive with a dive master i.e. allows for a discover scuba...

I finally had an opportunity to contact the insurer, Arch Insurance Co.

AdivingBel, your reading of the policy is correct, and frankly, I can't believe that I've been misreading it. Thank you for posting.

So:

1) Stay above 130'
2) If you're not certified, a dive master must be with you.

If those conditions are met, scuba coverage is not excluded. It is a covered activity.

The fine print you ask?
I quoted it, and more completely on page 3 of this thread.

 

[bobfmdc]

I used to have both DAN dive accident & travel insurance until last year, when I talked to DAN and asked about whether their travel insurance would cover any COVID-19 related medical expenses including quarantine expenses. They said they don’t. So, I dropped DAN travel insurance...............

Right now (6 weeks after the above was written), DAN has several prominent pages on their website stating that DAN insurance "may" provide coverage if a traveler "...tests positive for COVID-19." I noted that the DAN-sold travel policies themselves state emphatically under "General Exclusions" that the insurer "...will not pay for any loss under this policy caused by or resulting from: .......(paragraph S) Pandemic and/or Epidemic." So I called DAN and asked the insurance guy to resolve this apparent conflict. I did not get much, if anything, that was understandable, so I asked for the number of their new policy underwriter, CSA-Generali. I called them at 800-541-3522.

I got an explanation that sounded like a lot of splitting of definitional hairs, but the Generali agent helped me understand what he said were the current interpretations of the policies. As he described it, if you get sick and are diagnosed by a medical professional after you pay for your policy, they will pay for the medical expenses, trip cancellation or trip delay costs, etc. per the policy terms even the sickness is COVID-19. However, they will not pay for indirect costs such as quarantine due to exposure to COVID, loss of income, loss of employment, etc if the insured is not sick.

I know all this sounds a bit fuzzy but there seems to be a logical thread. Insurance companies will pay for an occasional COVID-19 victim, but do not want to pay for trip cancellations unless there is a direct medical diagnosis. For those who are uncomfortable that they now have a policy that will not reimburse them if they suddenly decide that it is unsafe to travel, the companies are ready to offer the "cancel for any reason" policies--at a substantial increase of premium.[/QUOTE]