DIVING OVER 50 YEARS OLD

[tkaelin]

50 year olds the subject of discussion elsewhere in other activities as well. See link below. Discussion this week in Switzerland raising the question of those over 50 skiing, the accident injury rate costs and whether there should be limits. I think I can safely predict any rule trying to limit the 50 and above crowd from skiing is Switzerland has as about as much chance as trying to limit the consumption of chocolate. But I digress, this is a diving forum. Just wanted to let you know that the discussion is taking place elsewhere.


Should Swiss pensioners be allowed to ski? - SWI swissinfo.ch

 

[Lorenzoid]

Do health insurance companies charge higher premiums based age? I was not aware of this.

Are you joking?

 

[pinshootr]

good luck buddy I would not come to your resort now even if you offer a discount better start looking for a different career !!!!!!!!!

 

[uncfnp]

Are you joking?

Nope but I must have been editing as you were posting. I have only ever had group coverage and its the same for all of us. And I make sure to stay as far away from the insurance end of the practice as possible.

I thought the whole idea of Obamacare was equal coverage for all.

 

[Bob DBF]

I thought the whole idea of Obamacare was equal coverage for all.

No. It just mandates that you buy insurance or the IRS collects a penalty.


Bob

 

[uncfnp]

No. It just mandates that you buy insurance or the IRS collects a penalty.


Bob

Hey Bob. My limited understanding is that it did eliminate some "discriminatory" insurance practices such as gender differences in premiums but looks like age was left.

 

[uncfnp]

50 year olds the subject of discussion elsewhere in other activities as well. See link below. Discussion this week in Switzerland raising the question of those over 50 skiing, the accident injury rate costs and whether there should be limits. I think I can safely predict any rule trying to limit the 50 and above crowd from skiing is Switzerland has as about as much chance as trying to limit the consumption of chocolate. But I digress, this is a diving forum. Just wanted to let you know that the discussion is taking place elsewhere.


Should Swiss pensioners be allowed to ski? - SWI swissinfo.ch

A cost driven consideration, not an effort to improve safety. And yes, I digress.

Looks like all us 50's something should just sit on the couch and eat bon bons.

 

[scubadada]

Hi Adam,

The information awap posted earlier contained information from your website for Dolphin Dive, Home The following is also posted on your website:

DIVERS AGED 50 OR OVER - Anyone wishing to undertake a PADI program or refresher with us will be required to bring written medical clearance from their doctor before starting any program (irrespective of whether they answer yes or no to the questions on the PADI Medical Statement below).

Certified divers aged 50 or over will be required to show proof of valid medical insurance covering their diving activities, including contact details for medical emergencies *

* INSURANCE - we are located in a remote location with very limited access to medical facilities. There is usually no doctor on the island, just a nurse. Big Corn has a basic hospital facility but medical emergencies will require boat evacuation to Bluefields or Managua. Dive emergencies will require evacuation to the re-compression chamber in Puerto Cabezas in the north of the country, a boat trip of 6-8 hours. We recommend that divers carry adequate travel insurance and have confirmation from their insurance company that the cover extends to Little Corn Island, and that the provider is able to arrange treatment, transport etc as recommended by medical staff. We require all divers over 50 to provide insurance details before diving.

So, you already require anyone 50 or older to submit medical clearance if they are taking any course from you, regardless of the answers to the screening questionare. You also, already require, anyone 50 or older to show proof of dive insurance. The new issue you brought up is whether all divers 50 or older should have to submit medical clearance to dive with you. Clearly, the sentiment from SB was against this measure.

If you really want your divers to be as safe as possible, I see two things you need to do. As uncnp pointed out, you need to develop your own high quality emergency plan. This would require education/training, personnel, and equipment. A good place to start might be the DAN education offerings Scuba Diving Safety & Training Courses - DAN| Divers Alert Network - DAN | Divers Alert Network I would suggest that, at a minimum, you should be able to supply adequate support to cover the period until emergency transport can be arranged, this might dictate a considerable oxygen supply. Assuming you meet the requirements of this emergency plan, you could inform potential visitors of this level of support. This may or may not differentiate you from your competitor(s)

That brings up the second, and perhaps the most difficult topic, emergency transport. I'm not sure you or we fully understand what kind of transport might be available and what DAN (or other carriers) might do to facilitate transport. In the DAN outline description of medical coverage, the following is listed:

Ambulance transportation by ground, air or marine ambulance services to the nearest Hospital or Hyperbaric Chamber where prescribed care or treatment can be given

Many of us have read of the extraordinary lengths DAN has gone to in order to evacuate divers from some remote areas, including seaplane. At the very least, it would seem that an injured diver could be evacuated by boat to Big Corn, and then by plane to Managua, or perhaps even directly to Puerto Cabezas. It would behoove you to work with DAN to devise an acceptable emergency transport plan. Given your statements to date in this thread, if I were considering a trip to Little Corn, I would contact DAN first, to make sure reasonable transport was available for me.

Best of luck,

Craig

 

[Bob DBF]

Hey Bob. My limited understanding is that it did eliminate some "discriminatory" insurance practices such as gender differences in premiums but looks like age was left.

Insurance is by it's nature discriminatory, by removing some "discriminatory" insurance practices it dramatically increased the price of insurance for others. If this is a plan to change the US to government owned national health care it's starting to work on me.

Bob

 

[Lorenzoid]

My limited understanding is that it did eliminate some "discriminatory" insurance practices such as gender differences in premiums but looks like age was left.

Not to get too off topic, but yeah. Old people cost insurers more, simple as that. So why shouldn't insurers charge higher premiums? Simply because it's "discriminatory"? Our society hasn't traditionally considered ALL practices that make distinctions based on age to be wrong, either under the law or what you might call morally wrong. Most age discrimination laws make exceptions for the kinds of distinctions based on age that actually make some logical sense. Constitutionally speaking, if there is some "rational basis" for discriminating based on age, the law passes muster. Police can have mandatory retirement ages, for example. Gender discrimination is less tolerated under the law than age discrimination, so it makes sense to me that Obamacare eliminated that practice. Maybe the relationship between gender and healthcare costs is more tenuous--less proven--than the relationship between age and healthcare costs. From what I understand, it's beyond dispute that healthcare needs and therefore costs increase with age. So it makes sense to me that Obamacare did not un-do the longstanding practice of insurers charging people for health insurance based on their age.

Getting back on topic, IF the OP's underlying premise is correct that older divers are more at risk of heart attack or other severe medical events during diving, then I would not dismiss his idea out of hand as ridiculous or horrible. Sure, as a potential customer over 50 years old, the idea doesn't appeal to me. But he would be no more "wrong" to discriminate based on age than an insurer or various others who have long made distinctions based on age.