Urgent! Have DAN insurance; Generali demanding upfront payment b4 providing medical evacuation

[Jcp2]

My impression of most travel medical insurance is that it is expected that the insured pay the fees out of pocket first, keep appropriate documentation, and then submit to the insurance company for reimbursement later.

 

[Rick Brant]

This is DAN Travel Insurance not DAN Accident Insurance. I’ve heard many examples of DAN Accident Insurance working as advertised and being a Godsend. Travel Insurance is a completely different animal.

Well to a customer, DAN is DAN. I've run into several divers with "I've heard..." stories, but as I said there are not many positive -- or negative -- accounts on-line. That seems pretty odd given the ubiquity of DAN

My impression of most travel medical insurance is that it is expected that the insured pay the fees out of pocket first, keep appropriate documentation, and then submit to the insurance company for reimbursement later.

Right...and the "reimbursement later" is usually where it goes sideways, at least in my experience. The primary goal of the secondary insurance is to not pay any claims.

I would love to be able to trust DAN but I do not see anyone chiming in here with a direct, personal experience.

 

[Julie T]

My impression of most travel medical insurance is that it is expected that the insured pay the fees out of pocket first, keep appropriate documentation, and then submit to the insurance company for reimbursement later.

There was a clause in the policy that says, "No out-of-pocket expenses." Also, my other two friends who have had medical emergencies covered by DAN dive insurance said that DAN handled all the arrangements and paid the costs. They (my friends) never had to pay anything.

 

[tursiops]

Also, my other two friends who have had medical emergencies covered by DAN dive insurance said that DAN handled all the arrangements and paid the costs. They (my friends) never had to pay anything.

Unfortunately, dive insurance is not travel insurance, or vice versa.

 

[AdivingBel]

Well to a customer, DAN is DAN.

IMHO that is a very uninformed customer. I've had personal experience with DAN dive insurance and they more than lived up to my expectations. I've never purchased DAN travel insurance because with a bit of due diligence I've always found much better alternatives. All IMHO, YMMV.

 

[STIDVC]

Nothing helpful to add but all the best of luck to Tim and his family!

 

[Julie T]

Unfortunately, dive insurance is not travel insurance, or vice versa.

Apparently not, even though DAN issued the travel insurance policy, and we were relying on DAN's reputation for good service. That good service clearly does not extend from their dive insurance business to their travel insurance business.

IMHO that is a very uninformed customer. I've had personal experience with DAN dive insurance and they more than lived up to my expectations. I've never purchased DAN travel insurance because with a bit of due diligence I've always found much better alternatives. All IMHO, YMMV.

Could you share what information you found with your "bit of due diligence" that led you to decide to *not* purchase DAN travel insurance? What information did you find that warned you away from DAN's travel insurance, when you had had such satisfactory experience with their dive insurance?

I've been doing searches about DAN's travel insurance, and very little comes up that isn't from a DAN or Generali website. So I'd love to know what "due diligence" would have been required to recognize that DAN's travel insurance was a bad choice.

 

[Julie T]

Nothing helpful to add but all the best of luck to Tim and his family!

Thank you! They're still awaiting a medevac out of Baja. Looks like it's going to happen, but hasn't happened yet, so we're keeping our fingers crossed.

 

[AdivingBel]

Could you share what information you found with your "bit of due diligence" that led you to decide to *not* purchase DAN travel insurance? What information did you find that warned you away from DAN's travel insurance, when you had had such satisfactory experience with their dive insurance?

Nothing warned me away from DAN travel insurance. I just never associated DAN dive insurance with their travel insurance offering. It's pretty clear on their site that they are separate entities underwritten differently.

As far as their travel insurance offering, I've found much more cost effective plans with better policies regarding the amount of medical coverage, weather related (hurricane) cancelation, reasons & reimbursement for trip interruption and cancelation, etc. etc.., basically for many of the reasons I buy trip insurance. For all insurance the devil is in the policy details and it's your responsibility as a consumer to read and compare the details of the plans. I wish it wasn't so and that you could just go by the "name brand," but almost all policies are underwritten by different companies than those they are marketed under. It's the world we live in... All IMHO, YMMV.

I'm sorry you were caught up in your current situation, but most trip insurance plans that I know generally require for you to pay for expenses up front and then file for reimbursement after the fact. DAN dive insurance is a completely different beast when it comes to dive accidents and payment.

 

[tursiops]

In my case, I'm kind of stuck with DAN Travel since they will insure you at age 70+; many policies will not.