Med flights

Kind of applies i guess. This is not rescue insurance.

I just got med flight insurance that accepts just what your insurer pays, you pay no out of pocket if you get flown to a hospital.

I'm sure there are several carriers, mine is Eagle Air, which covers southern CO and some of NM.

$130 for 3 years for 2 people, pretty good deal i think since my one med flight cost about $40K a few years back

So your insurance doesn't cover all emergency expenses?

I've had my fair shares of bad accidents. One was in Vernon NJ. My insurance paid for everything including the helicopter ride. I believe the cost of the heli was about 12K.

My insurance also was accepted in Canada. Now Whistler on the other hand.. The clinic in Whistler has been stiffed by so many foreigners giving fake information that they don't accept anything. I paid outta pocket without calling my insurance first. I submitted the bill when we returned to the States and they reimbursed within a couple months.

Most insurance plans pay a fixed max, $500 for ambulance and $7500 med flight are typical. The flight carrier can try to get the rest from you. I know they tried in my case.

it's also based on medical need. my area has pretty shitty medical coverage, so transport to a major hospital in Denver or CoSprings is part of the deal for serious stuff

Check out Divers Alert Network ( diversalertnetwork.org). Originally created by the SCUBA community, it's one of the best deals around for insurance for any adventure sport. I learned of it while teaching wilderness medicine; it's popular among mountaineers worldwide. I don't know about the American Alpine Club but here in the north the Alpine Club of Canada also has a very good plan that will get you flown out of the wildest places on the planet if you need. (It got one of my residents out of the Himalaya last year.)

Lee Green wrote:Check out Divers Alert Network ( diversalertnetwork.org). Originally created by the SCUBA community, it's one of the best deals around for insurance for any adventure sport. I learned of it while teaching wilderness medicine; it's popular among mountaineers worldwide. I don't know about the American Alpine Club but here in the north the Alpine Club of Canada also has a very good plan that will get you flown out of the wildest places on the planet if you need. (It got one of my residents out of the Himalaya last year.)

I'm missing something. All I see on that site* regarding insurance references "Covered Diving Accident". No where did I see anything about any adventure sport.

• : the link above is in error as it contains an extraneous ")" at the end

When the alpine club replaced accident coverage global rescue was one of several alternatives considered. DAN was another alternative but we were unable to get all of our questions answered. At that time, I believe it applied to climbing activities and was cheaper than other alternatives.

john strand wrote:Most insurance plans pay a fixed max, $500 for ambulance and $7500 med flight are typical. The flight carrier can try to get the rest from you. I know they tried in my case. it's also based on medical need. my area has pretty shitty medical coverage, so transport to a major hospital in Denver or CoSprings is part of the deal for serious stuff

hey john, when you say they tried in your case and your rescue cost $40k, how much did you actually end up paying? just curious cuz if you actually paid $40k, i need to seriously look into my insurance plan cuz that would wreck me.

in addition to my last post, i have only been part of one serious climbing accident in which a climber had a heart attack less than 1000 ft below the summit on denali. he ended up getting flown out all the way to anchorage and never paid a cent for it, although it was the NPS that flew him out. so this must vary significantly by area.

Lee Green wrote:Check out Divers Alert Network ( diversalertnetwork.org). Originally created by the SCUBA community, it's one of the best deals around for insurance for any adventure sport. I learned of it while teaching wilderness medicine; it's popular among mountaineers worldwide. I don't know about the American Alpine Club but here in the north the Alpine Club of Canada also has a very good plan that will get you flown out of the wildest places on the planet if you need. (It got one of my residents out of the Himalaya last year.)

I'll second this option. DAN is awesome! Their insurance kicks in as long as you are a certain distance from home, I think like 50 miles. If you dive it's a no-brainer, but even if you don't there are a lot of benefits.

Jake, we also were billed $40K for a medical helicopter flight.

We paid $30K+. The insurance company paid $7.5K, roughly.

Yes, that's an extraordinarily high expense. The accident was in NYS, and the helicopter company's main offices were in CO. No negotiations.

SMarsh wrote:Jake, we also were billed $40K for a medical helicopter flight. We paid $30K+. The insurance company paid $7.5K, roughly. Yes, that's an extraordinarily high expense. The accident was in NYS, and the helicopter company's main offices were in CO. No negotiations.

thanks for the info. how long were you given to pay it off? i make good money and i cant imagine taking on an unexpected $30k bill.

Jake wander wrote:in addition to my last post, i have only been part of one serious climbing accident in which a climber had a heart attack less than 1000 ft below the summit on denali. he ended up getting flown out all the way to anchorage and never paid a cent for it, although it was the NPS that flew him out. so this must vary significantly by area.

If the Feds fly you out, it's free. Sometimes the Army out of Fort Lewis does rescues on Mt. Rainier. The California Highway Patrol and a few other police agencies also run medical helicopters, those are free too--well, not free but no additional cost to you.

I thought GoFundMe is the insurance of choice these days? I haven't use it myself, but everyone seems to be using it.

SMarsh wrote:Jake, we also were billed $40K for a medical helicopter flight. We paid $30K+. The insurance company paid $7.5K, roughly. Yes, that's an extraordinarily high expense. The accident was in NYS, and the helicopter company's main offices were in CO. No negotiations.

I paid an additional 1oK..remember my case wasn't rescue thing. I was taken to the nearest hospital and then flown due to medical need to Denver.

The med flight people WILL try to get the cash...I don't really blame them and $130 for 3 years seems like a good deal to me.

rescue insurance is a whole 'nother topic

Marc801 wrote: I'm missing something. All I see on that site* regarding insurance references "Covered Diving Accident". No where did I see anything about any adventure sport.

That's what's featured on the website, which is oriented toward divers. If you check out the insurance though you'll find it quite comprehensive. DAN has a very good reputation among Fellows of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine who serve as expedition docs all over the world.

ps If you don't think diving is an adventure sport you aren't doing it right!

This is great info.

Really important to have.

I use medjet.

Insurance won't cover transfer if you're already in an 'appropriate level of care' at the facility you're admitted in. With medjet you can request transfer to your hometown hospital. Otherwise you're stuck

Whenever I used helicopter Evac I felt bad for my patients knowing they would well... Die without RSI/rapid trauma Evac... Or probably go broke over the expense. And that $7500 max payout from most insurances is accurate. Esp in NY the private companies will take everything you have.

There are still some great non profit organizations out there like mercy flight out of Rochester. Most other providers, not so financially friendly.

'Muricah

Get Evac insurance. It's cheap through GEOS

hey guys i started a new post that relates to this discussion here:

http://www.mountainproject.com/v/rescue-costs/112306760

id be happy to hear from some of you on the subject. thanks.

hey guys i started a new post that relates to this discussion here:

id be happy to hear from some of you on the subject. thanks. http://www.mountainproject.com/v/rescue-costs/112306760

not sure what happened with my above post but here is the link i was attempting to add:

mountainproject.com/v/rescu…