Health Insurance?

[pope 0]

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If you can't afford that you can't afford to stay current when skydiving.

Unless you skydive professionally, that is...I'm pretty current, but I have no health isurance--partly because I can't afford it, partly because no-one will cover my pre-existing conditions. What I need is to find a group plan to join.

I wonder if a large group of uninsured skydivers got together if it's possible to get a group plan??

Any insurance experts out there?

[Reginald 0]

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When I left my job COBRA was going to cost me $960/month
Jen

Now come on, that has to be for a family. Are you really telling me that your insurance is $12,000 a year for one person.

"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things." CP

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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When I left my job COBRA was going to cost me $960/month

You can barely even get private insurance for that much around here

I've worked for two small companies (one being Drew's Software LLC) that didn't provide health insurance. The rest all had great medical plans - small co-pays for most things, the full cost of glasses without designer frames etc., $250 deductable for the year, any prescription for $20/$10 generic, etc. That's EXPENSIVE. COBRA for medical, vision, dental was about $350 a month. The health services I actually used were a tiny fraction of that so Blue Cross/Blue Shield catastrophic (and prescription!) was less than 1/4 the price even when you factored in the increased costs.

Staying in (expensive if you're using COBRA) group planes means they must cover pre-existing conditions, although the rest of us can find less expensive insurance elsewhere when we separate from employers offering those plans.

[mailin 0]

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Now come on, that has to be for a family.

2 people, my husband and I.

I worked at a hospital with an unbelieveable plan ( 1000% better than current one ) - almost everything was covered 100%.

Thats COBRA - private plans are less. But Drew is right, danm preexisting condition clause gets ya every time - I have a genetic condition that prevents me from getting private insurance


Jen

Arianna Frances

[Andrewwhyte 1]

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(about $280/month)

In Canada the national numbers came in at ~4000/ head/year. The fact that it is buried in general tax revenues doesn't change the fact that we pay $330 per month and still will face delays of weeks, months, or even years for virtually all procedures from MRIs to cancer treatment. This money does not include the money we, or our employers pay for 'secondary' insurance to cover extras such as prescriptions, dental bills or ambulance rides (yep, not covered for $330/month). If we want to travel to the states, we get to go to the travel agent and buy a third level of insurance.
Personally I think health insurance is more important than some other things people hang onto when times are tough (cell phones, cable, beer).

[AndyMan 7]

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In Canada the national numbers came in at ~4000/ head/year.

Can you cite a source for that? That number is about 3 times the size of one I usually see.

_Am

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You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[Dumpster 0]

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After speaking incessantly, about my unfortunately too few skydives, a temp at my company has decided that he too needs to jump. Slight problem, Like millions of other citizen of the biggest, baddest and richest industrialized country in the world, he does not have heath insurance.
He obviously understands the potential danger, but I think that he has made up his mind.
Should I encourage him to go on and join our sickness or discourage him until he's able to afford insurance.

Personally. I would reccommend he have some coverage - If I weren't insured, this last injury I had (broken ankle-) would have cost me at least 16 thousand. If not for insurance through my employer, I'd be selling alot of stuff to pay the bill.

Easy Does It

[tigra 0]

Actually, a lot of insurance plans that employers offer don't differentiate between just a husband and wife (2 people) and a family with 4 kids (6 people). 2 categories, 2 prices, single coverage and family. So the married couples without kids are actually helping to insure their co-worker's children. And once you switch to COBRA, the cost gets pretty outrageous. (Another good reason to stay single and childless!)

[argon 0]

I had a substantial spine injury in 1998. Just the anesthesia bill was over 10 grand. I just recently found out the surgery ,hospital,rehab was over 75 thousand. Now my prescriptons cost over 500 a month-cost to me 20 dollars. That injury was job related and not skydiving. In April a hard tandem landing as a passenger broke my back (L1 and tailbone) plus a rib. Insurance (BC/BS) paid for everything. Unless you live in a tent at the dz and don't own or ever plan to own anything you can't afford NOT to have insurance. PERIOD. Just having a kidney stone treated will cost over 5 grand at some hospitals. And YES-when they find out you don't have insurance of any kind you will NOT receive the care you need. Nobody likes to work for free. Blue Skies and Merry Christmas to all.

***********
Freedom isn't free. Don't forget: Mother Earth is waiting for you--there is a debt you have to pay...... POPS #9329 Commercial Pilot,Instrument MEL

[Avion 0]

Skydivers form a group that is insurable as a group. The rule is any group can be insured as long as the reason for the group is other than to just get insurance. There would have to be a skydiver association. I believe the USPA offers group insurance. So, form a group, the larger the better, then ask an insurance broker to find the group some coverage. Probably will be difficult to find any company to write a policy, and if one will it will probably be expensive.

[argon 0]

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Skydivers form a group that is insurable as a group. The rule is any group can be insured as long as the reason for the group is other than to just get insurance. There would have to be a skydiver association. I believe the USPA offers group insurance. So, form a group, the larger the better, then ask an insurance broker to find the group some coverage. Probably will be difficult to find any company to write a policy, and if one will it will probably be expensive.

But as a group,the fact is few do it "as a living" and have other sources of income with some having company benefits,those that are self employed may have individual or standard policies. I don't know ,but there certaintly is a percentage that don't need the benefits that would apply. Although the auto racing based SCCA have a policy that cover drivers and track workers that receive injuries during an event. It is possible-but in the case of the SCCA alot of the cost is absorbed by the cost of the drivers actual racing license,which is SUBSTANTIALLY more expensive than the current USPA membership.

***********
Freedom isn't free. Don't forget: Mother Earth is waiting for you--there is a debt you have to pay...... POPS #9329 Commercial Pilot,Instrument MEL

[Avion 0]

From what I know about COBRA 280/month is a good deal. You must have low limits on you coverage to get away with that. From what I heard at insurance school coming off a good employer plan with a family can be 700-800 a month easy.

[flyangel2 2]

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I believe the USPA offers group insurance.

The insurance that USPA offers covers damage that you, the skydiver does. For example, I hit a car in the parking lot, but if the car owner is a USPA member, we have to figure it out between the two of us. USPA won't cover me if I break my ankle.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[Andrewwhyte 1]

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In Canada the national numbers came in at ~4000/ head/year.

Can you cite a source for that? That number is about 3 times the size of one I usually see.

_Am

It was a factoid in the paper from Statscan the a couple of days before I posted. I'll try and find the reference.

[Avion 0]

Demo liability? Well maybe that is something I can look into, group insurance for skydivers. I went to insurance school, I just need to take the state test to get my licence. I might try finding a company that write a policy that would only cover personal medical expenses incurred only durning skydiving.

[AMax 0]

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And YES-when they find out you don't have insurance of any kind you will NOT receive the care you need. Nobody likes to work for free.

I have relatively fresh impressions from the visit to ER. The injury was pretty painful - I was suspecting that I broke my ankle (not skydiving related) and could not put any weight on that leg. It took them six (!!!) people (2 MD's, 3 nurses and 1 technician) to take one X-ray and diagnose the injury. I was asked a bunch of questions and most of them were questions regarding the type of my insurance, home address, phone numbers and how I am going to pay deductible.
No wonder the health care is so expensive

[kelpdiver 2]

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I have relatively fresh impressions from the visit to ER. The injury was pretty painful - I was suspecting that I broke my ankle (not skydiving related) and could not put any weight on that leg. It took them six (!!!) people (2 MD's, 3 nurses and 1 technician) to take one X-ray and diagnose the injury. I was asked a bunch of questions and most of them were questions regarding the type of my insurance, home address, phone numbers and how I am going to pay deductible.
No wonder the health care is so expensive

Yes, if you could eliminate all the paperwork and process surrounding medical insurance, the costs of medicine would drop substantially.

The catch is that you then have to deal with the cheating and fraud.