What is the cost of recompression?

[Sas]

You might want to consider changing your insurance. Sounds like they'll give you the run around.

Already done I canceled my private health insurance all together as the government just changed the law so that you can earn double the previous amount before you have to pay an extra tax if you don't have PHI. And as diving accidents are covered in the public system, it makes no sense to have extra insurance on top of my DAN one.

 

[MartianBeerPig]

Would not be surprised, not sure what countries it would apply to but can certainly see this being the case in the US. Would not dive in the US anyway without making sure I had full insurance cover. Most other countries would be a little more understanding I would imagine.

I doubt that a US would flat our refuse treating someone in an emergency situation. Most US hospitals are actually obliged to treat emergency cases per their Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. They may sue you after treatment to recover the costs so I think I'll still keep up my insurance payments.

Oh and the further I am away from decent medical care, the more conservative my diving becomes.

 

[Sas]

I doubt that a US would flat our refuse treating someone in an emergency situation.

That is true. However, with my family's experience they are quite happy to wait until a slightly sick person (appendicitis can take a few days to become bad) goes into an emergency situation and close to death before treatment. I'm considering moving to the US in the next few years and one of the main concerns me and my partner have and one of the things stopping me from committing to the move, is the huge problems in the US healthcare system so we going to have to do a lot of research into it before we would go. Some of the costs are ridiculous. Heathcare is not a normal competitive market and should not be treated as such, like it is in the US.

 

[fisherdvm]

My uncle got appendicitis in the US on a holiday when he was very young and got peritonitis and nearly died as the hospital refused to treat him as he was uninsured. Not sure if this is still the case as this was a few years back, but would not surprise me if some countries refused to recompress a diver if they did not pay upfront.

Current laws require that all patients who walked into the ER in the US must be treated. Unfortunately, the triage time might be outrageous in some public inner city hospitals.

This explains why hospitals in the inner cities are hemorrhaging cash and are near critical in their financial status. My brother is an ER doctor, and say that folks will go to the ER to get a pregnancy test (when you can buy it at the dollar store for 1 us buck!). More than 2/3 of patients treated in the ER in the US will not pay their bill.

But the ER is not a good place to get preventative medical care.... And it is not a good place to get good health care, period.

 

[Sas]

Current laws require that all patients who walked into the ER in the US must be treated. Unfortunately, the triage time might be outrageous in some public inner city hospitals.

This explains why hospitals in the inner cities are hemorrhaging cash and are near critical in their financial status. My brother is an ER doctor, and say that folks will go to the ER to get a pregnancy test (when you can buy it at the dollar store for 1 us buck!). More than 2/3 of patients treated in the ER in the US will not pay their bill.

But the ER is not a good place to get preventative medical care.... And it is not a good place to get good health care, period.

So appendicitis is considered to require preventative medical care? :S

 

[fisherdvm]

Misdiagnosis happen.... It is called the poor man's jackpot. Have no insurance, no money, but win big when they misdiagnose, and your love one dies.

The ambulance chasing lawyers are always looking for folks who get injured - and it doesn't matter if you are insured or not.

 

[Sas]

Misdiagnosis happen.... It is called the poor man's jackpot. Have no insurance, no money, but win big when they misdiagnose, and your love one dies.

The ambulance chasing lawyers are always looking for folks who get injured - and it doesn't matter if you are insured or not.

Umm they knew he had appendicitis... they still denied treatment.

I am glad I live in a country where there is a minimum standard of health care for everybody. Including free recompression

 

[Cajuncru Diver]

Current laws require that all patients who walked into the ER in the US must be treated. Unfortunately, the triage time might be outrageous in some public inner city hospitals.

This explains why hospitals in the inner cities are hemorrhaging cash and are near critical in their financial status. My brother is an ER doctor, and say that folks will go to the ER to get a pregnancy test (when you can buy it at the dollar store for 1 us buck!). More than 2/3 of patients treated in the ER in the US will not pay their bill.

But the ER is not a good place to get preventative medical care.... And it is not a good place to get good health care, period.

Not exactly true. All hospitals that have an emergency room are required to render treatment to indigent patients who are in need of "emergency care....however they are only required to render such care as to make them "stable" then they can be transported to a public health facility---this is also known as the "dumping" part of the no dumping statute. If it is not an "emergency" the hospital is not required to render treatment until you show your proof of insurance or financial ability to pay and as sad as it is to say you can make book on it that in the "good old usa" "if you can't pay you won't stay"!!!!

 

[robint]

getting back to the original discussion....

I wouldn't want to get bent in a foreign country without DAN. But that being said, some countries now don't accept it, only credit cards. We were planning a trip to Turks & Caicos a few yrs ago and were notified by dive op that DAN insurance is not accepted for any medical services, including chamber rides. It must all be paid, by credit card, at the hospital before they will render any services. So we were told to make sure that we have $5-10k available on a major Credit card before going on the trip. (We decided to go somewhere else). We were told that after returning home we could get reimbursed by DAN after filing all the necessary forms, but sheeesh!

I am sure they aren't the only country that doesn't accept DAN insurance. But we still have DAN, family plan, highest level. Never had to use it but well worth the $$ for the peace of mind at the very least.

robin