What level of DAN insurance to you carry?

[Dnaber]

Last I heard there are over 65,000 pages of Obamacare regulations at the Federal level alone that health insurance companies have to “interpret”. That is in addition to the insurance company’s nightmare of internal paperwork that is still being generated trying to minimize liability and still be in compliance.

Chamber treatment is the only treatment for DCS and is the “standard of care” so will “likely” be covered eventually, at least inside the US. However timely treatment is also critical to treatment efficacy. If insurance company response times for unusual treatments were terrible before, Obamacare can’t be helping.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/diving-medicine/470206-dcs-treatment-obama-care.html

DAN basically built their business on health insurance companies’ slow and inept responses to diving related claims, long before the additional layer of Obamacare. Virtually every chamber ride has one or more hospitals as gatekeepers and they in turn have their payments department as gatekeepers to them. Pile on expensive high-speed medivac services and you have the perfect storm for sitting in a waiting room until your symptoms become permanent. DAN can cut through all the delays because they can authoritatively communicate proper treatment to medical staff in their language and guarantee payment.

Interesting that someone had a bad experiance with Tricare (Military health insurance). To this point I have alway had good treatment from them. But I can understand that not all doctors would understand DCS (my primary doctor for one), so I think I would like another team in my corner if I need them. I'm now going to renewing my DAN this weekend.

 

[freewillie]

I carry guardian. I also carry a family plan with my 16 y.o. daughter covered by the preferred plan. She only dives on vacation while I will dive more often locally hence the difference in the plans.

I just renewed by DAN insurance last November before our dive in the Bahamas. No way was I going to let my regular Kaiser health insurance be the only insurance I had while on vacation outside the United States. Try getting an HMO to cover even routine medical care let alone a diving accident.

Besides, with Murphy's law as long as we are covered we should be okay. God forbid that one dive after the insurance expires is the one diver where something happens.

 

[Akimbo]

Interesting that someone had a bad experiance with Tricare (Military health insurance)...

For those who have not read all the posts in the above link:

I went to a hospital last spring because I thought that I might have DCS. My insurance ( I didn't have DAN) wanted to take it to a " Medical Review Board" that would take 3-5 days to decide,even though the Tricare website specifically said that HBO treatment was authorized for DCS. I'm not sure if they weren't getting the point that I was in the ER and it was considered and Emergency or where the disconnect was but it took almost 24 hours to get straightened out.
Long enough that I know I will have DAN from now on.

 

[scjoe]

And how would you get that treatment right away? Would you drive to the nearest hospital expecting to have a fully staffed chamber ready to take you in immediately?

There aren't that many hospitals with chambers that will take DCS cases. With those that do, the appropriate staffs are not always on duty. The reality is that if you don't want to take the time to have DAN make the arrangements, you may end up delaying your treatment significantly.

In his description of the handling of a case in Florida, Peter described heading for Orlando and calling DAN on the way. When they got there, everyone was ready for them. It could not have been faster. But wait! Why did they go to Orlando? Wouldn't it have been faster to go to Gainesville? The hospital there is much closer. Well, when I was in Florida a couple of years ago, there was a cave country DCS case, and they went to Gainesville. They were turned away--treatment refused. That is happening a lot across the nation now. I don't know the current situation there, but I assume Peter does, and DAN would have known it, too. They will direct you to a place they know will take you in, and the staff will be there or be on their way.

In Southern California, we have a number of chambers at major hospitals, but to my knowledge there is only one dedicated to treating divers and available 24/7 and that is the USC Chamber out at Catalina. Chambers in hospitals are not emergency room operations waiting for you to show up bent.

 

[TommyAHS]

I personally carry top tier insurance from both Dive Assure and DAN. With the difference in how the policies function, I know that wherever I might end up, one of the two will pay someone to try and fix me. Honestly I have been seeing the best coverages coming from Dive Assure when I compare the two.

 

[rhwestfall]

Some of my dives, even while diving at "home" result in me being in a different country.... DAN has put me at rest with their coverage...... peace of mind is worth every penny. Again, I hope to never find out how good it is...

 

[AdivingBel]

Last I heard there are over 65,000 pages of Obamacare regulations at the Federal level alone that health insurance companies have to “interpret”. That is in addition to the insurance company’s nightmare of internal paperwork that is still being generated trying to minimize liability and still be in compliance.

Chamber treatment is the only treatment for DCS and is the “standard of care” so will “likely” be covered eventually, at least inside the US. However timely treatment is also critical to treatment efficacy. If insurance company response times for unusual treatments were terrible before, Obamacare can’t be helping.

If you want to vent about Obamacare, knock yourself out. There is plenty to vent about. My point was a mainstream insurance company (pre or post Obamacare) is not who you want to be speaking with in the middle of a dive related emergency. In that role DAN provides a much needed buffer (expertise) and can cut through the BS in a much more efficient manner.

 

[Akimbo]

Part of the problem is you can go into the great majority of emergency rooms still dripping in your wetsuit, your computer flashing “omitted decompression”, and doubled over in pain (literally bent); but most will still do a full evaluation without appreciating the significance of what is in front of them or the time-sensitive nature of DCS treatment. I don’t care how good your health insurance is, you need an advocate that understands hyperbaric medicine, has deep pockets, and knows where to send you.

 

[boulderjohn]

In Southern California, we have a number of chambers at major hospitals, but to my knowledge there is only one dedicated to treating divers and available 24/7 and that is the USC Chamber out at Catalina. Chambers in hospitals are not emergency room operations waiting for you to show up bent.

Same here. In the Colorado/New Mexico area, there is only one chamber that I know of that takes DCS patients, and only one trained physician. Go anywhere else and you are wasting your time.

 

[Akimbo]

I just noticed that the DAN diving insurance plans in California are now named Guardian ($125), Preferred ($75), and Master ($40). Last year when I renewed it was Standard, Master, and Preferred. The least expensive plan had a depth limit of 130' and none of the current plans have a depth limit.

http://media.dan.org/handbook-g.pdf