jtnesbitt 0 #26 March 4, 2009 QuoteFor what it's worth, my Blue Cross/Blue Shield didn't have any rider's for skydiving (I looked it over pretty closely, but I'm curious if anybody else has seen one in their BC/BS). At about $170/month, I didn't think it was too expensive, either. I have BC/BS as well and dont have any riders. However i dont think that applies to every policy. I want to say i read a post on the base boards about someone having them and they denied the claim after a wall strike. If i can dig it up i will post a link."If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kmills0705 0 #27 March 4, 2009 Quote except you just admitted it. you always have to watch out for trolling insurance agents. those guys are sneaky! It was in '97 and under my maiden name. I think I am safe!Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sletzer 3 #28 March 4, 2009 My BC/BS policy doesn't specifically exclude skydiving either. Are you implying that if it isn't specifically excluded, it's (technically) covered? If so, that would be great. I'm a little warry calling the insurance Co. to ask them if it's covered. They might make a note of it after they say no. Great discussion BTW, I've been interested in this for some time.I will be kissing hands and shaking babies all afternoon. Thanks for all your support! *bows* SCS #8251 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtnesbitt 0 #29 March 4, 2009 QuoteMy BC/BS policy doesn't specifically exclude skydiving either. Are you implying that if it isn't specifically excluded, it's (technically) covered? If so, that would be great. I'm a little warry calling the insurance Co. to ask them if it's covered. They might make a note of it after they say no. Great discussion BTW, I've been interested in this for some time. Actually, i am saying the opposite. Just because it isnt specifically excluded it still might not be included. I think some polices have a section about intentionally putting oneself in harms way. If that is the case then its a lawyers fight."If this post needs to be moderated I would prefer it to be completly removed and not edited and butchered into a disney movie" - DorkZone Hero Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pirana 0 #30 March 5, 2009 QuoteQuoteMy BC/BS policy doesn't specifically exclude skydiving either. Are you implying that if it isn't specifically excluded, it's (technically) covered? If so, that would be great. Actually, i am saying the opposite. Just because it isnt specifically excluded it still might not be included. I think some polices have a section about intentionally putting oneself in harms way. If that is the case then its a lawyers fight. To do that they would have to show that you intended to hurt yourself. Kinda like the standard exclusion for suicide. To deny a claim for a covered member, there does need to be an exclusion that applies. So, though something does not have to be named specifically, they do have to point to an exclusion in the contract and show that it applies. I've reviewed a lot of Blue Cross health contracts and never seen one that specifically excluded skydiving injuries (or rodeo or motorsports or scuba or any other adventure sports). I've not reviewed contracts for other companies, so can't say about those, but that USPA article from 2001 is not very clear and doesn't identify a final outcome. I doubt the rules were ever adopted, and at any rate the rules (as explained in the article) were an attempt to prevent denial of an application (denials that I am not aware were ever happening) while leaving the door open to deny claims (denials that may or may not have been taking place - but as mentioned were not happening in MN). Part of the problem in interpretation may be that there are several separate issues though: 1 - Getting accepted for coverage. In MN skydiving is not a part of the health history and can not be used to reject an application. For large group coverage there is no HH even taken. 2 - Denying claims of a covered member specifically because of an adventure sports injury. Again, not done in MN at all (at least not legally). 3 - Denying claims because it was a pre-existing condition. This would be the biggest risk, but is going away with time as a result of the increasing use of continuous coverage provisions. The real wild card is that most of the regulation is still at the state level, so your results may vary. As an aside, the Blues are not a nationwide entity other than being chartered by the BCBS Association to use the brand. There are about 40 different plans, mostly defined by state boundaries. There are a few companies that have been granted use of the brand in multiple states (Anthem, CareFirst, HCSC, etc), but they must comply with each states specific rules for the business they conduct in that state. Wiki has a nice summary of the Blues, including the fact that MN was the first to use the marks and the true home of the Blues. If you live in a state where the approach of the insurance industry and regulators is to deny as much as possible rather than finding ways to finance as much as possible; then maybe keeping the mangled bicycle around is a good idea." . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DontPanic 0 #31 March 5, 2009 At the last company I worked for, I asked the HR manager about the status of my company health insurance and a possible future skydiving accident (they knew I was a skydiver, so I had nothing to lose). The HR manager indicated that since there was no exclusion for skydiving, it should be covered. Supposedly, it needs an exclusion clause in your contract. But as others have said in this topic, I wouldn't be surprised if I have to fight for it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LaRusic 0 #32 March 5, 2009 QuoteQuotethere are a lot more scuba divers in the world than skydivers. I think, right there, is why getting something similar going in skydiving is probably a non-starter. Insurance is based on pooling risk - the population of skydivers is probably too small to make sense. Id have to agree, although it would be nice to have something like DAN cover skydiving, there may be too little interest to make it fly. This is where im happy the army covers any stupid things i do to myself while hurling my body out of a moving aircraft a mile above the earthThe Altitude above you, the runway behind you, and the fuel not in the plane are totally worthless Dudeist Skydiver # 10 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RMK 3 #33 March 5, 2009 A skydiving-only insurance policy is not an economically viable idea; however, multi-sport extreme coverage policies are much more useful and available in many countries. However, I’ve found the insurer’s knowledge of skydiving is near idiotic. You’ll maybe get a one-pager questionnaire focusing solely on jumps numbers without any intelligent queries such as “what is your wing loading?” At least for SCUBA, they know that diving at 40metres+ is more dangerous than 20metres. For skydiving, they don’t have any knowledge or metrics. As this is a minority sport, it’s not in their interest to expend much time and effort learning; however groups such as USPA and BPA could be proactive and provide information to the insurance industry to help educate them of the real risks and help in availability & pricing for all of us. For reference, in the UK, PJ Hayman had global multi-extreme sport coverage but for 2009 they limited the skydiving to Europe only (they previously offered global cover). So after using them for over eight years, I’ve gone with a company called DogTag. But be careful as each of these companies has quirks when it comes to multiple activities. In my example, my main coverage concerns were skydiving, offshore yacht racing and helicopter flying. Oddly, under my new policy I’m not covered while piloting a helicopter but my wife sitting next to me (on same policy and in same helicopter) is???"Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotsR4pimps 0 #34 March 5, 2009 dont all of you guys in the UK get free medical? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RMK 3 #35 March 6, 2009 NHS is only for the UK, not rest of world when travelling. Also most people who can afford it, have private cover in place (NHS is not that great). As for free, (in the US press) they always leave out the fact that we also pay 11% National Insurance Tax. The end result is poor service and the most expensive “free” health insurance you’ll ever get."Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to attend his classes" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotsR4pimps 0 #36 March 6, 2009 noted. Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 2 #37 March 6, 2009 QuoteNHS is only for the UK, not rest of world when travelling. Also most people who can afford it, have private cover in place (NHS is not that great). As for free, (in the US press) they always leave out the fact that we also pay 11% National Insurance Tax. The end result is poor service and the most expensive “free” health insurance you’ll ever get. In the UK, if you're unemployed because you were made redundant (or laid off, as we call it) by your employer, does your NHS coverage cease? Oh, and does NHS refuse coverage for pre-existing conditions? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
