Is DAN membership worthless?

[Larryjd1]

Is the $117 for the premium plan per month or per year?

That is Annual.

Note depending on where you live the coverage and cost can vary to conform with local laws. That is why they ask you country and then state on the way n to the pricing page.

 

[Chavodel8en]

$35 is only for DAN membership. You need to pay more for insurance - $42 annually is their cheapest plan, what I have. And you can't get the insurance without the membership.

I hate when people say DAN insurance is "only $42". No it's not. If you want DAN insurance, the total price is $77 annually.

DAN membership without insurance is mainly a magazine subscription

 

[Wingy]

Your $35 goes to funding the organisation. If you decide to go on a LOB or dive vacation somewhere - say Rangiroa - and you don't purchase DAN insurance if you need urgent evacuation/medical aid you will need to have a handy $15K to guarantee Papeete hospital have a chopper waiting should you need one. Keep in mind DAN operates differently regionally but ive been happy to pay top tier DAN Asia Pacific because I've seen what happens when you don't.

 

[Scared Silly]

It is common with rescue (not health) insurance that the provider needs to be contacted so to arrange transport from the accident site to a medical facility. If you want a good reason why just look at the air ambulance business in USA.

Why Air Ambulance Bills Are Still Sky-High

 

[davehicks]

We've never had an accident or needed to call DAN in the last 20 years of membership fortunately. However, about a dozen or so years ago my wife had a sinus blockage that manifested on a Plane Flight that required a minor outpatient surgery. This happened about a week before a Liveaboard dive trip, so she was not going to be able to dive. We called DAN and they reimbursed us for the cost of her trip, minus some small deductible. That one incident alone has more than paid for 20 years of DAN membership.

 

[tursiops]

We've never had an accident or needed to call DAN in the last 20 years of membership fortunately. However, about a dozen or so years ago my wife had a sinus blockage that manifested on a Plane Flight that required a minor outpatient surgery. This happened about a week before a Liveaboard dive trip, so she was not going to be able to dive. We called DAN and they reimbursed us for the cost of her trip, minus some small deductible. That one incident alone has more than paid for 20 years of DAN membership.

Was this DAN travel insurance, or dive-accident insurance?

 

[ontdiver]

If the OP is still following this thread, would suggest that he give the good folks at DAN a call to better understand his membership and options for additional coverage.

 

[apenland01]

If the OP is still following this thread, would suggest that he give the good folks at DAN a call to better understand his membership and options for additional coverage.

Yes, I'm still following the thread, as it's something to consider. I am 5 hours from San Carlos and Rocky Point Mexico, so that would really be the only "out of country" diving I would do, but it seems it has good value if I ever needed it there.

I tried to login to my DAN account, but you can't add the insurance after you create the account, you had to add it when you created the account. Now I have to call them to choose a plan. Since it's an annual cost, it seems reasonable enough...

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

It’s insurance (with a policy selected...as discussed above). My general outlook on insurance is to get it so that you’ll (hopefully) never need it.

It is common with rescue (not health) insurance that the provided needs to be contacted so to arrange transport from the accident site to a medical facility. If you want a good reason why just look at the air ambulance business in USA.

Why Air Ambulance Bills Are Still Sky-High

Sounds a lot like the billing practice at an emergency veterinarian that I visited years ago. “Oh, you can’t do $1,500? How about $700?” :-I

Reid Vogel, director of marketing and communications for Med-Trans, says he can't discuss a particular patient's case because of privacy rules. But, he adds, Med-Trans works with patients to find "equitable solutions" when their bills are not covered by insurance.

 

[BoltSnap]

I am 5 hours from San Carlos and Rocky Point Mexico, so that would really be the only "out of country" diving I would do, but it seems it has good value if I ever needed it there.

The dive accident insurance isn't just for traveling outside the US, it is also used in the US. Typical medical insurance in the US doesn't cover anything related to dive accidents unless you chose a special option that will be extremely expensive as I found out.