Do I need DAN, please advise?

[Guba]

One of the reasons I have DAN is simply for the advice. They monitor the lines round the clock to field diver's questions. One day, I might ascend from a dive, feel a stinging in my elbow and shoulder and wonder if I've taken a DCS hit. All I have to do is make a phone call and talk with an expert on such injuries to find out if I have anything to worry about. I know of NO other insurance agency that does that. Add to that the fact that that same person on the line can put all rescue, travel, treatment and follow-up wheels into motion, and the choice to have DAN is a no-brainer.
Brian, I respect your wishes and feelings about your current provider. However, you started this thread in order to glean advice and opinions of divers who have been in the sport for an awful long time. The incredible majority of those posting have offered a nearly unanimous voice of single-minded opinion. You have chosen to reject that advice, and I respect your decision as that of a sound-thinking, informed and educated person who has taken the time to research the issue.
I only hope and pray that you never have cause to regret the decision. I wish you well. Have a great trip.

 

[hank harris]

What Bruce said.

 

[hank harris]

And what Guba said.

 

[BrianV]

Thanks for the advice guys, I'm still considering it. I do have high limit credit cards on me at all times, and my insurance card does say international coverage on it.

I know I opened a can of worms by starting this thread.

 

[Web Monkey]

Thanks for the advice guys, I'm still considering it. I do have high limit credit cards on me at all times, and my insurance card does say international coverage on it.

I know I opened a can of worms by starting this thread.

It's not a "can of worms", it's just the way things are.

Having a high limit credit card only means that you'll probably be able to get treated, however it also may mean that you'll have to morgage your house to pay the credit card bill when you get back.

Also, your bank may deny the charge, since even though the card has a high limit, you've never used that much before, so you may find yourself at the chamber, bent, arguing with your credit card company about authorizing the charge.

Health insurance companies are in business to pay as few claims as possible, for as little as possible, and even though they say they'll cover you, and eventually they may, I can almost guarantee that when you send in a claim for $30K+, they will not simply cut you a check and wish you well.

They'll start looking for ways to deny the claim, reduce the payment, or simply delay it while they're making money on what they haven't sent you yet.

While all this this is going on, you've got $30K on a credit card at %18 interest, since the low rate immediatly jumps when you use a high percentage of the card limit.

I don't mean to be a pessimist, but when I'm on vacation, $70/year (or whatever the current charge is) is cheap peace of mind for knowing that I'll get treated, and won't be on the hook for a huge charge, and won't have to fight with anybody to get paid.

FWIW, nobody here really personally cares what you do for insurance, however in a hobby as expensive as SCUBA, where an accident can cost you $30,000+ in the blink of an eye, not wanting insurance that is known to cover these specific costs seems a little odd.

Terry

 

[BrianV]

Terry, well put.

 

[616fun]

I look at it this way - my primary insurance has a 20% copay. Not bad if you go see the doctor and get a bill for $100. I'll pay $20. It sucks if you take a hit and end up with a $20,000 bill.

DAN is secondary insurance - which mean after your primary gets done paying they pick up the rest. So in the instance above your primary would cover $16,000 and DAN would pay the $4,000, along with the evac costs, cost for delayed return trips, cost for family to stay, etc, etc.

For $100 a year I could pay DAN the rest of my diving life and not pay in as my one hit would cost. I don't know the specifics of your insurance - but even if you provider covers DCI it's still worth checking at what level.

 

[BrianV]

I look at it this way - my primary insurance has a 20% copay. Not bad if you go see the doctor and get a bill for $100. I'll pay $20. It sucks if you take a hit and end up with a $20,000 bill.

DAN is secondary insurance - which mean after your primary gets done paying they pick up the rest. So in the instance above your primary would cover $16,000 and DAN would pay the $4,000, along with the evac costs, cost for delayed return trips, cost for family to stay, etc, etc.

For $100 a year I could pay DAN the rest of my diving life and not pay in as my one hit would cost. I don't know the specifics of your insurance - but even if you provider covers DCI it's still worth checking at what level.

So you'd still have to pay your primary deductables? In addition, I have a max out of pocket of $1,500 per year so the WORST I'd ever spend is $1,500, even if I had $2 million worth of crap done. Mines only 10% up to a max of $1,500, so I'd have to spend over $15,000 to spend $1,500.

 

[616fun]

So you'd still have to pay your primary deductables? In addition, I have a max out of pocket of $1,500 per year so the WORST I'd ever spend is $1,500, even if I had $2 million worth of crap done. Mines only 10% up to a max of $1,500, so I'd have to spend over $15,000 to spend $1,500.

So in that context you could buy 15 years of coverage before you took the one year hit of $1,500.

To me $100 is easier to come up with every year than $15,000 on a trip to a far off place only to recoup $13,500 of my cost when I return home.

 

[Fred R.]

Has anyone on this thread ever had a dive accident and needed DAN?

I ask because I have, I had a major problem, and DAN's highest level of coverage.

DAN did not pay, not me, not the chamber, not the doctor (who was a DAN affiliate), not anybody. I was out the full cost of treatment. The chamber that treated me later closed. When I talked to them last, they said that DAN had NEVER paid any of the bills, so when those SSS guys came along, my local chamber was gone. Thanks a bunch DAN!

Check with Dive Assure. At least then you will be dealing with a real insurance company and not some multi-headed hydra, part non-profit, part for profit, part research, and part hot line.