Info Is DAN Insurance worthwhile?

[JoeTPhilly]

Yes. Quite clear. It is secondary insurance. You pay, and they reimburse after any other insurance you have pays.

Where?

I think if DAN would have said you need to pay out of pocket for the evacuation he would have done so right of the bat. On the website it says "DAN must arrange transportation for covered emergency medical evacuation fees to be paid." They were doing so but it seemed they were getting the run around.

 

[Boarderguy]

After a few of my posts were deleted from last night I'd like to reiterate my points without violating the forum rules this time (I thought it was posted in a different section).

The Bahamas are not a top tier nation and their medical system is on par with that notion. They are not the US or other socialized medical nations where duty to care comes before financing the care, especially in an emergency situation. A white American, with a large entourage, may have been seen as a good source of easy $ (speculation here) and the extortion for care isn't a long walk.

In water recompression would have been a great first step here if not for Woody's absolute aversion to anything cold. He felt terrible and they had O2, no other reason he should not have gone back down to 20ft/6.5m and ran 100% O2 either on OC or through his CCR. Gag strap and support around him to alleviate the issues when they are FAR from help. Instead they acted cavalier and joked while going on about their day. He became the exact person his react videos dissect and his entourage was there with him.

This is a great example of what to look for and hopefully not repeat since most of us are not in his financial realm.

 

[TravelGas]

Does anyone have a Dive insurance recommendation other than DAN ?

 

[TravelGas]

Where?

I think if DAN would have said you need to pay out of pocket for the evacuation he would have done so right of the bat. On the website it says "DAN must arrange transportation for covered emergency medical evacuation fees to be paid." They were doing so but it seemed they were getting the run around.

Do you think since Woody violated the terms of service that it is strange that not only did DAN pay but reimbursement came quickly, do you think this treatment and waiver of the rules was due to his celebrity and the reach of his Dive Talk channel and the negative PR that DT can generate? Or did DAN treat Woody the same as any other reimbursement ?

 

[JoeTPhilly]

Do you think since Woody violated the terms of service that it is strange that not only did DAN pay but reimbursement came quickly, do you think this treatment and waiver of the rules was due to his celebrity and the reach of his Dive Talk channel and the negative PR that DT can generate? Or did DAN treat Woody the same as any other reimbursement ?

He definitely got special treatment after they found out who he was and his channel. I recall him calling somebody at DAN or something. Any normal person the insurance company would bury in requests for paperwork in hopes they give up.

 

[cerich]

Actually, I'm surprised they didn't encourage him to immediately drop down to 20 on oxygen, since they are absolutely positive that he did not skip some huge deco burden or do an explosive ascent. Again, I am not recommending that, but some people would have done that, I think.

DAN is not going to recommend that people untrained, with no medical supervision conduct IWR.

 

[davehicks]

He definitely got special treatment after they found out who he was and his channel. I recall him calling somebody at DAN or something. Any normal person the insurance company would bury in requests for paperwork in hopes they give up.

I just had a $10,000 claim paid by DAN after filling out a single form and including a Doctor's note about my condition. I waited about a month for the check to come, issued from AIG. (DAN's underwriter)

ps: This was the third time I've had such a claim paid by DAN, all smooth.

 

[Boarderguy]

DAN is not going to recommend that people untrained, with no medical supervision conduct IWR.

DAN doesn't recommend IWR at all right now. It is a newly reevaluated process that is gaining traction as more and more chambers are being denied use for DCS. It is especially useful for out of the way and remote diving, but they can't be on the hook for such a recommendation yet.

 

[SlugLife]

Not knowing that DAN is secondary insurance and reimburses after the fact.

I didn't know that either, and I've bought DAN for several years.

It's not that simple. DAN must arrange the full works - evacuation (ambulance, airplane etc.), a doctor to accompany you and the correct facility has to be ready for you. They can't just a book a random plane to move you from one hospital to another, in case that your symptoms worsen.

That's what I remember from their documentation, that they have to arrange the medical evac, or you probably won't be getting that reimbursed.

In any case, they should've called DAN right when they got out of the water, not several hours later.

I agree with the statement, but also recognize there is an element of "hindsight is 20/20."

If you have DAN and are experiencing what you think could be a medial issue related to diving, even if it doesn't seem like an emergency, it's probably best to get in contact with them at the earliest opportunity. They might be able to assist you in some way, or if your symptoms worsen, be aware of your case and able to respond more quickly. If it turns out to be nothing, or just short-term, then it didn't really cost much to give them a phone-call.

but truthfully most divers would not have had the resources/expertise/experience readily available to follow the path we did.

I'm not rich, but I like to have a good buffer. Most divers spend a lot of money on training, and equipment. Some divers also spend a lot of money on travel and vacations. $30k is no small amount of money, but also isn't something one has to be a millionaire to have saved up.

type 2 hit when they told me they weren't feeling great and their appearance, gait , speech, etc immediatly caught my attention

It's also worth noting, that an impaired person will often also be incapable of self-diagnosis, and need others around them to make those calls. It's like being narced, it can sometimes be difficult to recognize in the moment because you're too narced to recognize you're narced.

Perhaps you have not seen instances where breathing oxygen for a while completely resolves decompression symptoms? If a diver is ambulatory and tired and seems to be improving from oxygen, it is not so hard to believe that people may choose to stay on o2 and see what happens.

This too. It may have seemed mild or temporary in the moment.

I've felt bad after a dive numerous times, but after some water and rest felt much better. I suspect mostly dehydration, but occasionally frequent chances in depth. It can be hard to avoid mild dehydration in 105 degrees and an August sun in Texas while putting your gear on. Even if you drink a bunch of water right before jumping in, it may take 30 minutes for your body to start telling you that you should have had more.

 

[cerich]

DAN doesn't recommend IWR at all right now. It is a newly reevaluated process that is gaining traction as more and more chambers are being denied use for DCS. It is especially useful for out of the way and remote diving, but they can't be on the hook for such a recommendation yet.

the issue is that having some dive pros trained to do IWR isn't the answer either.

Oxygen is actually a controlled drug, and doing treatments with a controlled drug when not a medical professional is .. well illegal and that aside one hella way to take on big liability.

I am not going to argue aginst IWR as working(I know it can, has and have some experience in it).. But can't see where we get to wide traction for the liability and legal reasons.