Should I get insurance?

[davehicks]

I encourage buying the insurance, but lets provide accurate info. The cheapest DAN insurance will cost you $82/year - $40 for the required DAN membership + $42 for the insurance.

Still a good value.


And re a question above - Medicaid will pay for a chamber ride? I always thought chamber rides weren't covered by most health insurance?

What Medicaid will not pay for is a charted, surface pressurized, plane flight to evacuate your bent-ass. Evacuation costs can be enormous and uncovered by most insurance. I have friends who had bills (covered by DAN) of 100K or more.

 

[TMHeimer]

This highlights the importance of knowing the specifics of your coverage whether it be through your existing medical coverage, credit card or dive insurance. I certainly wouldn't want to have blind faith in the belief that a policy did not have any exclusions.

Agree. I think it's wise to check what your existing or normal travel insurance may cover regarding scuba. Also consider the type of diving you'll be doing and the locale. I think DAN is good for most divers, though I have never had it.

 

[Subcooled]

During our vacation this year we have finally decided to take the plunge and get our OW certification. We are using a very reputable company, however they are not affiliated with DAN so we can't get the student membership that DAN offers for free while we are in training. Should I go ahead and get the membership and the diving accident insurance. I am just hesitant to pay for it now just in case we get down there and something happens that we are not able to get certified on this trip. Thanks!

If you don't get certified, then it means that you didn't perform very well and that you were possibly at risk.
Insured you'd have the chance to get treated, at least, would it end badly.
The worse the experience, the more you love a good insurance.

And remember, DAN is the Diver Alert Network. It is not just an insurance. It's someone you can actually call when in doubt.

 

[newkidondock]

It's $40 for the year for the basic DAN membership. It's pretty much the cheapest thing in this sport.