How to Choose Dive Insurance

[Cacia]

What is the smartest way to evaluate a company?

What factors regarding your regular health insurance most commonly come into play?

Primary VS secondary insurance...what are the issues?

 

[smatterchu]

I'm glad you asked....we're trying to figure this out, too.

 

[Mo2vation]

"Dive Insurance" - as in, "Yo, I think I'm bent - evac me to the chamber, stat..."

"Insurance for Divers" - as in, "Yo, I need a spleen. By the way, I'm a diver...."

"Diver Gear Insurance" - as in, "Yo, officer - my dive stuff was right here a minute ago..." or "dammitjim, my housing just flooded...."

Big differences in the three.


I use DAN for the first. Jake's LA Unified School District HMO-PPO-LMNO whatever for the second. H2O for the third.

How many real choices are there for number one? Number two is completely unrelated to number one. And there are about 3 legit choices for number three.


---
Ken

 

[Rainer]

What are the three choices for number 3? Thanks.

 

[Desert_Diver]

And there are about 3 legit choices for number three.


---
Ken

I trimmed too much off your quote. Number 3 refers to insurance for dive equipment. Be VERY careful how you describe losing dive equipment. The words you use will determine the difference in collecting for a loss or getting laughed at. NEVER, NEVER tell the insurance company that the equipment fell overboard. It's not covered. Even if the idiot captain threw it overboard accidently or on purpose.

Getting stolen is good. But you will have to back that up with some sort of law enforcment report.

The airline losing it is good. But again you will have to furnish the insurance company with documentation from the airline.

Bottom line, make sure you understand which circumstances of loss are covered and which are not.

Art

 

[do it easy]

For the dive gear insurance, it might be covered under a homeowners/renters policy if it were stolen or lost, although I don't think that flooded camera housings are covered. Also be careful since scuba gear is considered sporting equipment and a sub-limit might apply. I have an endorsement on my policy for higher limits.

 

[Mo2vation]

What are the three choices for number 3? Thanks.

Off the top of my pointed head:

DEEP

H2O (DAN)

Home Owners


There are likely other alternatives (nice, ken. From the department of redundancy department) but these are the biggies I can think of right now.

Their differences, advantages, benefits, etc. have been outlined on SB a zillion times. Dee started an outstanding post a long time ago that several of us contributed to.

Basically, if I remember:

DEEP = replacement. If Model XYZ from 2004 qualifies as a loss, they replace it with model ABC from 2006. ("comparable replacement")

H20 (what I have) Qualified loss = you get a check (less deductable) I've had 3 claims in 7 years. Got my check very quickly. No hassles. Get the repair quote, sent it in, they pay. If it can't be fixed, they pay the amount its covered for less deductable.

Home Owners - consult your policy.


For the specifics of a what qualifies as a loss, you need to consult their websites. But the poster above is right with H20: Wash over is NOT covered.


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Ken

 

[do it easy]

How many real choices are there for number one? Number two is completely unrelated to number one. And there are about 3 legit choices for number three.

OK, I dug out the policy- So if I am reading it correctly, I have medical/dental coverage for non-diving accidents while I am on a diving trip (in a foreign country and more than 50 miles from home)- so if I am lounging at the bar onthe beach in some foreign country and need a new spleen, then my dive insurance would cover it, although it would be secondary to my primary health insurance.

I have the "platinum" PADI insurance through Vicencia & Buckley.

 

[Mo2vation]

OK, I dug out the policy- So if I am reading it correctly, I have medical/dental coverage for non-diving accidents while I am on a diving trip (in a foreign country and more than 50 miles from home)- so if I am lounging at the bar onthe beach in some foreign country and need a new spleen, then my dive insurance would cover it, although it would be secondary to my primary health insurance.

I have the "platinum" PADI insurance through Vicencia & Buckley.

And I won't play one on SB

But my understanding (as a lame-man) is this: If your spleen kaks on the white sands of Bora Bora, while you're having a probibitively sweet fruity drink with an umbrella in it, you need to get to Bora Bora General Hospital immediately.

It is very likely the "dive insurance" from PADI or DAN one of the other Alphabit soups will be a back up to your primary insurance (ie:the stuff you get / pay for from work, etc.) Even if your spleen flatlines on a dive vacation, while you are not diving, the Alphabits, like any good business, will look for someone else to foot the bill - and that will most likely be your primary insurance.

Most of these primary insurances don't cover "extreme sports" - that is they expressly exclude incidents directly involved with extreme sports. How Diving gets lumped with bungee jumping and hang gliding, I'll never know.

So if the spleen assumed room temperature as a result of diving, PADI may have to pick it up as primary will dodge it, and the HMOs probably have better counsel than PADI. If Spleen just croaked from your years of partying, its likely DAN will shove the bill over to Blue Cross.

But I'm probably wrong about all of this.

---
Ken

 

[do it easy]

It is very likely the "dive insurance" from PADI or DAN one of the other Alphabit soups will be a back up to your primary insurance (ie:the stuff you get / pay for from work, etc.) Even if your spleen flatlines on a dive vacation, while you are not diving, the Alphabits, like any good business, will look for someone else to foot the bill - and that will most likely be your primary insurance.

yup, I think that's about right. Of course, I'm not an attorney either... I'll leave it to the reasonalby prudent person to ensure they have sufficient coverage.