Do you have current dive insurance?

[acelockco]

I was wondering which ones of you have dive insurance and which ones don't. I would also like to know what policy you have if you do have one. Also what is your reason for not having insurance if you don't.


I would like to get some dive insurance, and I don't know my options other than DAN.

[littleleemur]

Rodales did a side by side comparison of 3 or 4 dive insurance companies a few years back.

I currently have the DAN master plan insurance & am contemplating their gear insurance now that I have a US billing/mail address again.

I went with DAN b/c I liked the idea that I would be indirectly supporting their research. :)

[acelockco]

Do you have the article? If so, can you post some of the main points? Was there an obvious winner? Why?

[littleleemur]

I'll have a look for it :)

DAN, PADI, Dive assure and Diver Security Insurance was reviewed I think. There weren't any main differences overall, just the smaller category differences: i.e when the insurance starts (when you get on the boat, dock, get in the water etc), when it ends, what other stuff is covered (i.e. accidents while monkeying around on the boat during the SI are not covered) etc, knocking your computer over the side of the boat not being covered....

It basically came down to what type of diver you are and the people you usually dive with.

It might be this one, but I remember much more detail & everything being summarized in a table:

www dot scuba diving dot com/training/basicskills/TN_basic_consumers_guide_to_dive_insurance

[dalehall]

Dan Master Plan for me also. Just renewed it for another year last week. I've never needed it, but I go by the same mindset about that as I do my gun: Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

[lottie]

I'll have a look for it :)

DAN, PADI, Dive assure and Diver Security Insurance was reviewed I think.

I think PADI now recommends DAN as i tried to sign up with the PADI insurance when i was looking at insurance back in June.

I've got DAN Master cover - to echo Dale's sentiments - better to be safe than sorry (but not in relation to having a weapon) :)

[hbh2oguard]

PADI does reccomend DAN, a DAN insert comes with most of the PADI stuff I get in the mail.

[BamaCaveDiver]

I have been carrying DAN's Preferred plan for the past 9 years and have nothing but good things to say about the organization and the policies they offer. I had the opportunity to make use of my policy a few years back, and just that one instance has enabled the policy to pay for itself for life. Chamber trips can be downright expensive and many insurance companies will balk if they hear the cause was dive related.

DAN's policies are considered secondary, meaning they will not pay until after your primary carrier has done their thing. This spooks some folks, but it is really of no great concern. My primary would not even think about covering any of the chamber ride costs, so DAN paid 100% (they even filled out the forms for me so that all I had to do was sign the submitted claim) of all costs associated with that incident.

[littleleemur]

BamaCaveDiver - did that claim affect your current insurance with DAN? Are you paying more now & how did that affect the "lifetime" maximum clause?

Sometimes you can get bent even if you didn't deserve it, so it's always good have insurance.

[Chantelle]

Yep, I have Dan as well :)

[seasnake]

DAN for me too.

[acelockco]

Littlelleemur sent me this link:

http://www.scuba diving.com/training/basicskills/TN_basic_consumers_guide_to_dive_insurance

Take away the space between scuba and diving

[BamaCaveDiver]

BamaCaveDiver - did that claim affect your current insurance with DAN? Are you paying more now & how did that affect the "lifetime" maximum clause?

Sometimes you can get bent even if you didn't deserve it, so it's always good have insurance.

No rate increases due to filing a claim, I pay the same as everyone else for the coverage I currently carry. Like any insurance, they do keep records of what has been paid out, so yes the claim did affect the lifetime maximum (if it did not affect the limit, then what would be the purpose of having the limit in the first place?).

It's funny, but I never really thought much about those lifetime maximums that all policies carry (who could ever go through a million dollars worth of medical treatment over the span of their lifetime?) until I saw the first hospital bill from my big accident of 10 years ago; at the two month mark of my hospitalization (spent 4 months in traction) the bill was already beyond the $300K mark. Since that time, I now look a bit closer at the maximum lifetime payouts.

[acelockco]

Well, how does that maximum work in this example:

You have the lower level of insurance with a maximum lifetime amount.

Then you have an incident

After your incident, you figure maybe I should upgrade to the top of the line policy that does not have any lifetime maximum.

Would you then have no maximum as if the first incident never happened?

[littleleemur]

Well, how does that maximum work in this example:

You have the lower level of insurance with a maximum lifetime amount.

Then you have an incident

After your incident, you figure maybe I should upgrade to the top of the line policy that does not have any lifetime maximum.

Would you then have no maximum as if the first incident never happened?

Acelockco:
I think the prior accident is considered a pre-existing condition and so even if you choose to upgrade, there will be parts where the upgrade will not be applied. & depending on what categories you used, it may not be worth upgrading for the remaining ones.:(

BamaCaveDiver:
It's great that you pay the same. Many companies increase what you pay after an incident. I was just wondering how the lifetime maximum would be applied by DAN as an injury or accident would qualify for many categories. So yes, that makes sense :)

[BamaCaveDiver]

As far as I can tell ace, you are only limited by the policy that you currently have in effect. So if you upgraded and started paying the higher premiums each year you would not be bound by previous limits. DAN is not attempting to turn huge profits as most insurance companies do (DAN is not the insurance carrier, they are a central group paying for a group policy for their membership; yes, you have to be a member of DAN to purchase insurance through them.)

Littlelemur, I have seen a few rate increases over the years that I have carried DAN, but as any good group policy should be handled, everyone in the group pays a little rather than those who have filed claims having to pay a lot to make up for losses due to payouts. From an actuarial standpoint, this type of insurance is really fun to crunch the numbers on since you have to work with contrived averages (how many divers do you know that dive every single day of the year?) This is what allows them to offer what seems like really decent rates (and why so many of the policies are sold as secondary, rather than primary, policies.)

Just about all the policies are handled in the same manner, so the most important point is to just make sure that you have some sort of coverage.

[acelockco]

I think I am leaning toward a DAN policy. They seem to be the most common and known world wide. Anyone have any reason I should use another insurance carrier, let me know.

[BamaCaveDiver]

The primary reason I have stayed with DAN over the years ace is that their policy does not include the exclusions on depths or gas choices. Other carriers have some really good offerings, but if you read the fine print closely you will see that a lot do include such exclusions, so read the fine print prior to making your final choice. If you have no interest in going beyond rec limits (either intentionally or accidentally) or ever adding helium to the mix, then just about all of the policies are a good buy.

[acelockco]

At this point helium is not even a thought.

The depth however is. There are definately times when wrecks we visit are below the rec. limit.

[Mountain Dog]

Do the DAN preferred.

It is accepted everywhere in the world. Period.

A diver I know got bent last year while doing a liveaboard. DAN got him and his wife to shore, him in the can and her in a hotel within hours. There was paperwork involved (it is insurance, after all) but in the end every penny of their expenses was covered. It could have run them close to a hundred grand.

Use it once in your life and it will have paid for itself many times over. Never use it, and count your blessings.

Mountain Dog

[scuba smurf]

DAN preferred plan for me

[littleleemur]

Littlelleemur sent me this link:

http://www.scuba diving.com/training/basicskills/TN_basic_consumers_guide_to_dive_insurance

Take away the space between scuba and diving

I finally found the article! It is the same article except the online archive doesn't have the comparison table. If anyone would like a photocopy/scanned-emailed copy PM me your email/address.

Rodal'es October 2002 "Consumer's Guide to Dive Insurance.

[lars2923]

I'm self insured...
Anyone care to go diving?

[Papa Bear]

I have DAN and require it if you dive with me!

[mempilot]

I wouldn't dive without it. The type of diving we do lends itself to DCS/I. I have DAN Premium coverage. While I haven't been airlifted or ridden 'the chamber', I have friends that have. They would be paying that bill back for a long time without the supplemental insurance that DAN provides. Don't get in the water without it.

[Bill22]

Even though I'm active duty military, I have the DAN Preferred plan. Tri Care (the military insurance plan) is not going to cover me for things like lost or damaged equipment, trip cancellation, trip interruption, etc...

I think DAN is a great organization that provides a service to our entire community.

[jafo]

DAN preferred plan for the wife and me. Don't dive with out it.