Diver insurance.

[pasley]

Dive Number 12. I got bent, Emergency room and Chamber ride 3 times for 6 hours at $400.00 per hour plus the cost of the MD (not nurse MD) that has to be there. Total bill for all the doctors, and cost was over $16,000.00. My out of pocket cost $0.00

See Accidents and Incidents, Got Bent Bad in.... for another example of what treatment could be like.

DAN or any other good dive insurance is very important for the following reasons:
1. My symptoms, a slight, vague, "discomfort", not even a pain in the ankle the day after the dive, then the next day (day 2) it was just a bit more, but not so that if you were having a conversation you would notice.
2. Ask yourself (now be honest) would I go to the doctor and pay my regular health insurance deductible for the above described incident? With DAN and zero cost to me to have it checked, it was not an issue.
3. Many health insurance policies do NOT cover diving related injuries.
4. DAN policies (I bought the premium package for next to nothing) covers many NON MEDICAL Cost such as:
A: Difference in price between that super discount non-refundable, non-changeable airline ticket you bought and can’t use because you got bent and are in hospital or are not cleared to fly just yet (I know a diver who lived in the mountains, and could not go home for several weeks).
B: The cost of flying a loved one (if medically necessary) to your bedside in Aruba.
C: Aero ambulance specially pressurized to sea level for the evacuation home if necessary (cost per hour from Belize to USA, hmmm, bet that would set you back a bunch).
D: Flying your remains home if necessary should the worst happen
E: Other cost not directly related to doctors and hospitals that medical insurance will not cover.

Read the DAN policy and what it covers. Your health insurance is not near enough to cover it and most likely will not cover many of the items DAN does because they are unique to diving.

Please note I am not an insurance expert, and you should read the policies to see what the do cover. The above are just points to consider that Dive Insurance may or may not cover, but I bet regular health insurance does not.

DAN, I will not dive without it.

 

[jbd]

Dive Number 12. I got bent, Emergency room and Chamber ride 3 times for 6 hours at $400.00 per hour plus the cost of the MD (not nurse MD) that has to be there.

1. My symptoms, a slight, vague, "discomfort", not even a pain in the ankle the day after the dive, then the next day (day 2) it was just a bit more, but not so that if you were having a conversation you would notice.

I am curious as to how DCS was diagnosed from the symptoms you presented with above? Was there also anything "special" about Dive #12 that would indicate a DCS hit?

 

[matt_unique]

Hi all,

I am a newly certified diver with less than 5 dives since my certification dives. I was wondering if most divers enroll in diver protection insurance. As a newbie, I would like to get some insight from the experienced divers on this nice site. I am thinking that insurance is probably a good safety measure in the event that something would happen down below.

I have been reading a lot of information on this site and must say that it is well run with a wealth of information.

Thank you in advance for your input.

Phil

I will paste text from a previous thread on the subject:

>>Comparing apples to apples....for $67 with PADI compared to the $64 plan with DAN you get p/incident coverage rather than lifetime coverage, you get higher dollar coverage for trip cancellation and extra accomodations, you get medical non-dive coverage, and a few other items.

Bottom line you need to pay $99 with DAN to get virtually the same coverage with PADI's $67 plan.
<<

--Matt

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

I will paste text from a previous thread on the subject:

>>Comparing apples to apples....for $67 with PADI compared to the $64 plan with DAN you get p/incident coverage rather than lifetime coverage, you get higher dollar coverage for trip cancellation and extra accomodations, you get medical non-dive coverage, and a few other items.

Bottom line you need to pay $99 with DAN to get virtually the same coverage with PADI's $67 plan.
<<

--Matt

well I did compair last year my self, I use DAN Preferred Plan and some major reason was this one I am Not a PADI diver , second they do not do any diver research , actual dive promoting , ie trianing guildlines ect , I guess you get what you pay for I do recommend you do a comparision with all the diffrent insurance, and pick the best one for you .
I have been perfactly satisfied with my Dan .

 

[H2Andy]

As a newbie, I would like to get some insight from the experienced divers on this nice site. I am thinking that insurance is probably a good safety measure in the event that something would happen down below.

dive insurance is so cheap, it doesn't make sense not to
have it.

i second (or third or fourth) DAN's insurance. you have to
become a DAN member, but it's well worth it. just one
ride in the chamber and the insurance will have been worth it.

 

[matt_unique]

well I did compair last year my self, I use DAN Preferred Plan and some major reason was this one I am Not a PADI diver , second they do not do any diver research , actual dive promoting , ie trianing guildlines ect , I guess you get what you pay for I do recommend you do a comparision with all the diffrent insurance, and pick the best one for you .
I have been perfactly satisfied with my Dan .

You don't have to be a PADI Member or hold PADI certifications to have the PADI dive insurance coverage. You do have to be a DAN member to have the DAN insurance.

I like DAN as an organization. I just think the PADI dive insurance plan is better based on the cost and coverages.

--Matt

 

[pasley]

I am curious as to how DCS was diagnosed from the symptoms you presented with above? Was there also anything "special" about Dive #12 that would indicate a DCS hit?

Dive profile indicates this is what is now called unexpected DCS. 19 minutes surface to surface, 110 feet, slow ascent. DAN, when I called said DCS was not likely given the profile but to get it checked. The emergency room doctor, after 4 hours and drawing some blood (not sure what that would do) came back and said "definitely bent" The key would be that my symptoms were getting worse, by the late after noon after getting lost in the emergency room shuffle (they put me in a side room and "forgot" about me), my leg was not pain full, but I remember thinking "I would hate to have to live with that the rest of my life". Chamber doctor, concurred with me being bent and treatment did improve the symptoms. But not really believing it, I did not come back for the follow up treatment the next day. 7 days later, after going diving again (oked by the doc), I drove to 1,400 elevation from sea level 2 days after diving and 9 days after being bent. This time there was no doubt I was bent, it hurt and got worse the higher I went. As I drove back to Long Beach and approached sea level my pain became less. The final bill to me was a tingling in the bottom of my foot for over a year.

 

[jbd]

Dive profile indicates this is what is now called unexpected DCS. 19n minutes surface to surface, 110 feet, slow ascent. DAN, when I called said DCS was not likely given the profile but to get it checked. The emergency room doctor, after 4 hours and drawing some blood (not sure what that would do) came back and said "definitely bent" The key would be that my symptoms were getting worse, by the late after noon after getting lost in the emergency room shuffle (they put me in a side room and "forgot" about me), my leg was not pain full, but I remember thinking "I would hate to have to live with that the rest of my life". Chamber doctor, concurred with me being bent and treatment did improve the symptoms. But not really believing it, I did not come back for the follow up treatment the next day. 7 days later, after going diving again (oked by the doc), I drove to 1,400 elevation from sea level 2 days after diving and 9 days after being bent. This time there was no doubt I was bent, it hurt and got worse the higher I went. As I drove back to Long Beach and approached sea level my pain became less. The final bill to me was a tingling in the bottom of my foot for over a year.

That is truly interesting and unusual, especially the second event when you drove to 1,400 feet elevation. Did you go for the other two chamber treatments after this second event? Have you had any problems with this foot related to diving since then?

Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[texdiveguy]

I am a PADI diver and am a member of DAN and carry DAN insurance....great peace of mind!!

 

[pasley]

That is truly interesting and unusual, especially the second event when you drove to 1,400 feet elevation. Did you go for the other two chamber treatments after this second event? Have you had any problems with this foot related to diving since then?

Thanks for sharing your experience.

The second event was most likely not a new DCI but a continuation of the first one that was not completely treated as I was hard headed and the doctor did not insist or argue (the dive doctor I should have seen left at 4:00 p.m. after giving up on me comming in, thanks to the mis-handling by the emergiency room. Note, if you think you have the bends remember you are in a life threating situation and be a big pain and babby and insist on treatment and attention. If you don't the emergency room, seeing no blood or heat attack will treat you as a flu or cold and bottom priority.) Yes, I drove from Hemit directly to the Chamber, do not stop by house, and yes, I did two rides as recommended and stayed dry for 30 days (dove on day 31).
That was 2001. Foot tingled for the first year all the time, you really forget about it, then the 2nd year it was less, but more noticable after a dive, or maybe I just paid more attention then. Foot, ankle was the site which is unusal itself, but as I was Airborne for 11 years, the doctor figures all those military jumps probably created some damage in the ankle (they do click and pop when I walk). Yesterday I did dive 150 and 151 and no complications.

The major point here that I want to communicate are these:
1. with out dive insurance I would not have gone to the emergency room and chamber to be evaluated.
2. The bends is not always Mike Nelson rolling around on the deck in extreame pain like we saw every episode on Sea Hunt. It can be more subtle - at first. My bend involved the nerves and because I waited 2 days some lingering effects. I was luckly. Not every paitent walks out, or ever walks again.