ScubaBoard Invasion Central 2025 Belize

[Chrisk919]

179 Days!

(Are we there yet?)

Ok… maybe not…

 

[J&M Blowing Bubbles]

We understand that we must have dive insurance to attend this trip. Does that mean a DAN policy or if we have employer group health coverage that will cover us on a medical emergency (including diving) out of the country, is that sufficient? Our DAN membership (currently have Enhanced Membership with Guardian Plan) is up for renewal and the more we look into what it (Guardian Plan) covers vs. our health insurance, the more we question whether we truly need the dive insurance. Note: Michelle is an compliance consultant in the insurance industry for 20+ years so she’s well informed on how insurance works We’re big believers on having insurance but it doesn’t always make sense to have ‘double’ coverage.

 

[cardzard]

We understand that we must have dive insurance to attend this trip. Does that mean a DAN policy or if we have employer group health coverage that will cover us on a medical emergency (including diving) out of the country, is that sufficient? Our DAN membership (currently have Enhanced Membership with Guardian Plan) is up for renewal and the more we look into what it (Guardian Plan) covers vs. our health insurance, the more we question whether we truly need the dive insurance. Note: Michelle is an compliance consultant in the insurance industry for 20+ years so she’s well informed on how insurance works We’re big believers on having insurance but it doesn’t always make sense to have ‘double’ coverage.

Please email me a copy of the dive insurance you are wanting to use so I can answer your question.

 

[J&M Blowing Bubbles]

Please email me a copy of the dive insurance you are wanting to use so I can answer your question.

We currently have DAN Guardian Plan, however, we also both have group health insurance (UHC & CIGNA) via our employers which also would cover emergency medical care (including a dive accident) out of the country and we are AmEx Platinum card holders so have Global Assist for transport too. I’m not sure a copy of our insurance COCs will be helpful, rather, we were wondering whether when it states “dive insurance” is required, if that means a dive specific insurance policy like DAN or simply having medical insurance that would cover a dive emergency. Our DAN plan is up for renewal at the end of the year and we’re evaluating options.

 

[JMTtor]

It’s amazing you have regular group health insurance that would cover dive accidents. Every policy I’ve ever seen, from employer policies to outside coverage, specifically excludes scuba diving from covered activities.

 

[J&M Blowing Bubbles]

It’s amazing you have regular group health insurance that would cover dive accidents. Every policy I’ve ever seen, from employer policies to outside coverage, specifically excludes scuba diving from covered activities.

I’ve been in the insurance industry for almost 2 decades and am not aware of a recreational scuba diving exclusion. It’s no different than rock climbing, skiing, road cycling, mountain biking, football or other physical activity where accidents happen. I would be curious to review the group health plans you are familiar with as that has not been my experience. Here is UHC’s Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Topical Oxygen Therapy policy, applicable to all commercial and individual exchange policies. Plus when you have multiple insurance policies, subrogation occurs often prior to claims adjudication. No insurance company wants to pay if another policy possibly will. It may take paying out of pocket first with an out of country emergency (e.g. many international providers don’t accept US insurance and you have to submit the claim yourself later) so for some having the funds to do this may be problematic and thus if DAN will pay ‘on the spot’ that can be an advantage to having dual coverage too. That though isn’t a concern for us.

 

[cardzard]

I’ve been in the insurance industry for almost 2 decades and am not aware of a recreational scuba diving exclusion. It’s no different than rock climbing, skiing, road cycling, mountain biking, football or other physical activity where accidents happen. I would be curious to review the group health plans you are familiar with as that has not been my experience. Here is UHC’s Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Topical Oxygen Therapy policy, applicable to all commercial and individual exchange policies. Plus when you have multiple insurance policies, subrogation occurs often prior to claims adjudication. No insurance company wants to pay if another policy possibly will. It may take paying out of pocket first with an out of country emergency (e.g. many international providers don’t accept US insurance and you have to submit the claim yourself later) so for some having the funds to do this may be problematic and thus if DAN will pay ‘on the spot’ that can be an advantage to having dual coverage too. That though isn’t a concern for us.
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Please check that this includes out of the country coverage and special transport back to the USA.
I know dive specific polices cover these issues, which why SB events require it.
I will also need a copy of your insurance card which all Crew Members must email me no matter how many time they have attended a SB event, That is just something we ask for later in the process,

 

[J&M Blowing Bubbles]

Please check that this includes out of the country coverage and special transport back to the USA.
I know dive specific polices cover these issues, which why SB events require it.
I will also need a copy of your insurance card which all Crew Members must email me no matter how many time they have attended a SB event, That is just something we ask for later in the process,

Our medical insurance covers emergencies outside the US (most major medical carrier group health plans do), yes. There’s only an exclusion for non-medically necessary expenses incurred outside the US. We have DAN membership & AmEx Platinum Global Assist for transport too. We’re on the fence as to whether we’ll renew the DAN Guardian Insurance but without question will keep the DAN membership. We’ll happily email you a copy of our insurance cards as we get closer to the trip (we also carry copies with us when traveling.).

 

[JMTtor]

Our medical insurance covers emergencies outside the US (most major medical carrier group health plans do), yes. There’s only an exclusion for non-medically necessary expenses incurred outside the US. We have DAN membership & AmEx Platinum Global Assist for transport too. We’re on the fence as to whether we’ll renew the DAN Guardian Insurance but without question will keep the DAN membership. We’ll happily email you a copy of our insurance cards as we get closer to the trip (we also carry copies with us when traveling.).

Your insurance covering dive accidents might be state-specific, since policies may differ widely from state to state. DAN Guardian insurance is pretty cheap, and to avoid subrogation issues (as you mentioned), it's worth it to me (I do several dive trips a year). The membership is definitely worth it, with all of the benefits of having 24/7 experts on call to consult with the doctors on medical issues related to diving and the excellent articles and photos in the magazine.

Beyond that, i also get trip insurance just to avoid subrogation issues for non-dive related medical stuff. Not all that expensive, and worth it to have the coverage in the event of a problem (actually used my trip policy for Roatan when American Airlines changed my morning flight at midnight the night before to a time that was too late to make the connection to Roatan, and I had to quickly rebook on Delta - the insurance covered the $350 difference in ticket cost, and I got flight credit for the cancelled flights).

 

[Edward3c]

Please check that this includes out of the country coverage and special transport back to the USA.
I know dive specific polices cover these issues, which why SB events require it.
I will also need a copy of your insurance card which all Crew Members must email me no matter how many time they have attended a SB event, That is just something we ask for later in the process,

My U.K. provider has gone completely paperless, therefore no ‘insurance card’ is issued.