Who has annual travel insurance?

[MBLittle]

Who has had it? Who pays for it? Who's had to use it?

[rebel heart]

I have DAN insurance. I've had to use the medical support line a couple of times; they're super helpful. Are you talking about getting paid back for plane tickets you couldn't make, or medical evacuation, or medical reimbursement, or?

[MBLittle]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

I have DAN insurance. I've had to use the medical support line a couple of times; they're super helpful. Are you talking about getting paid back for plane tickets you couldn't make, or medical evacuation, or medical reimbursement, or?

Yea, I should have been more specific. The wife is concerned mostly with evac and medical expenses.

Do you have the basic DAN membership or their travel insurance? I had the basic membership for years when I was a more active diver but was only concerned with evac and decompression. I read here on CF recently that DAN doesn't really cover cruisers who travel 12 month of the year.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by MBLittle

Yea, I should have been more specific. The wife is concerned mostly with evac and medical expenses.

Do you have the basic DAN membership or their travel insurance? I had the basic membership for years when I was a more active diver but was only concerned with evac and decompression. I read here on CF recently that DAN doesn't really cover cruisers who travel 12 month of the year.

It's an ongoing debate. To my knowledge no one has ever been denied, but if you read the fine print there is language that excludes people who are constantly traveling.

On the Pacific Puddle Jump Yahoo email group there's been a lot of discussion about it. Some DAN representatives have categorically stated it's not a problem but others are more wishy-washy, not trying to say anything.

I work in insurance my own two cents on the matter is that they're parroting the language given to them by their underwriter and carrier, but at the same time they know from experience that those qualifications never matter and don't materially impact anything. Again, just my interpretation.

The last I heard, a couple of weeks ago, someone really tried to put them on the spot and get an answer. We'll see. Until then, I feel comfortable with DAN. If you read actual reviews of other medical evacuation plans (like MedJet) it's pretty appalling. They'll put you on a bus to a local hospital long before you'll ever get on a jet headed back to Los Angeles. Same goes for DAN to be honest.

[Boatguy30]

In 2005 when we applied for a visa for FP at the French embassy in Panama, they accepted DAN as adequate for the requirement to get a 3 month visa. I think the expatriation of your body was the concern.

As an FYI, everyone that had that visa in advance (in 2005) was not charged a bond.

I have also had NZ based travel insurance which covers medical emergencies world wide. When we were visiting the US while living in NZ my son went to emergency room for a high fever.

They iced his head a bit gave him some tynelol and the bill was around $1200. The insurance paid promptly. Coverage for travel to the US was most naturally the most expensive level of coverage they offered.

[Boatguy30]

In the case of the NZ insurance. 12 months was the max time you could purchase it for before returning to NZ. coverage was about $100 US per month for a family of 4 including coverage for the US.

[MBLittle]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

It's an ongoing debate. To my knowledge no one has ever been denied, but if you read the fine print there is language that excludes people who are constantly traveling. On the Pacific Puddle Jump Yahoo email group there's been a lot of discussion about it. Some DAN representatives have categorically stated it's not a problem but others are more wishy-washy, not trying to say anything. I work in insurance my own two cents on the matter is that they're parroting the language given to them by their underwriter and carrier, but at the same time they know from experience that those qualifications never matter and don't materially impact anything. Again, just my interpretation. The last I heard, a couple of weeks ago, someone really tried to put them on the spot and get an answer. We'll see. Until then, I feel comfortable with DAN. If you read actual reviews of other medical evacuation plans (like MedJet) it's pretty appalling. They'll put you on a bus to a local hospital long before you'll ever get on a jet headed back to Los Angeles. Same goes for DAN to be honest.

Just got a response from DAN regarding the basic membership coverage. I asked specifically if we would be covered for a sailing trip that lasted over 1 year.

Response:
"As long as you have a physical residence in the US or Canada and not just a PO Box or a freight forwarder address , we are authorized to sign you up through DAN America. Otherwise, you would purchase coverage form the DAN location that services where you reside the majority of your time. Please keep in mind that we must have an address in the US or Canada and all of the DAN member materials will be mailed to the address we have on file. If you have more detailed questions about your situation, I would recommend you contact our claims department at 1-800-292-8381 or at 803-434-7101"

But again, an insurance company right? Who knows what they mean

So besides the lost luggage and ticket reimbursement, what's the advantage of DANs annual travelers insurance over the basic membership? Basic membership at $55 a year sure beats the $900 I got quoted for myself, my wife and our toddler...

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by MBLittle

But again, an insurance company right? Who knows what they mean

So besides the lost luggage and ticket reimbursement, what's the advantage of DANs annual travelers insurance over the basic membership? Basic membership at $55 a year sure beats the $900 I got quoted for myself, my wife and our toddler...

Actually DAN isn't an Insurance Company. They buy their members Insurances from the lowest bidder with DAN's own terms.

[MBLittle]

Originally Posted by TeddyDiver

Actually DAN isn't an Insurance Company. They buy their members Insurances from the lowest bidder with DAN's own terms.

https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/a...rance/?a=quote

But they offer insurance...?

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by MBLittle

https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/a...rance/?a=quote

But they offer insurance...?

Technically they're a broker, producer, or a brokerage agency, depending on your terms.

"Carrier" or "Insurance Company" is generally "holding the paper", or the bank that is actually carrying the risk (and will write a check).

"Underwriters" evaluate criteria to determine if the application (you and me) fit the risk the carrier wants to carry. Underwriting is also "the power of the pen" and in the case of car insurance is at the carrier level, or in the case of boat insurance is generally at the brokerage level. Sometimes it's a separate agency entirely.

"Brokers" know the risk profiles that carriers want and sell it to insureds. Again with car insurance, you get it directly from the carrier: there is no broker. But with property & causality insurance you typically get it from a broker (sales person) who will shop your insurance around to various carriers.

Carriers like brokers because brokers have a vested interest in not pissing off carriers, and brokers can keep it simple by bundling lots of insureds into one big risk pool and just getting that carried.

Generally (in the case of p&c insurance) carrier doesn't want to know anything about you unless they have to. They want to invest in risk and make a return.

[rebel heart]

If you read the details, you'll note this on DAN's website:

Insurance is underwritten by National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa.

So that's the "insurance company", who is also acting as the underwriter.

As a historical footnote, and probably the only interesting fact in insurance, the term "underwriter" is from the old days of ships manifests. They were written on chalkboards hanging from pylons on the docks. Merchants who wanted their goods insured would hire an insurance company. The insurance company would send out someone to inspect the ship, the officers, and the cargo. If they viewed the risk as acceptable, they would underline the cargo manifest and sign it on the chalkboard.

When the manifests moved to paper, they would continue to underline and sign the cargo there.

Underwriter.

[MBLittle]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Technically they're a broker, producer, or a brokerage agency, depending on your terms. "Carrier" or "Insurance Company" is generally "holding the paper", or the bank that is actually carrying the risk (and will write a check). "Underwriters" evaluate criteria to determine if the application (you and me) fit the risk the carrier wants to carry. Underwriting is also "the power of the pen" and in the case of car insurance is at the carrier level, or in the case of boat insurance is generally at the brokerage level. Sometimes it's a separate agency entirely. "Brokers" know the risk profiles that carriers want and sell it to insureds. Again with car insurance, you get it directly from the carrier: there is no broker. But with property & causality insurance you typically get it from a broker (sales person) who will shop your insurance around to various carriers. Carriers like brokers because brokers have a vested interest in not pissing off carriers, and brokers can keep it simple by bundling lots of insureds into one big risk pool and just getting that carried. Generally (in the case of p&c insurance) carrier doesn't want to know anything about you unless they have to. They want to invest in risk and make a return.

Insurance has never been my strong suit, but this makes sense. Thanks for clearing me up!

[Andy73]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

As a historical footnote, and probably the only interesting fact in insurance, the term "underwriter" is from the old days of ships manifests. They were written on chalkboards hanging from pylons on the docks. Merchants who wanted their goods insured would hire an insurance company. The insurance company would send out someone to inspect the ship, the officers, and the cargo. If they viewed the risk as acceptable, they would underline the cargo manifest and sign it on the chalkboard.

When the manifests moved to paper, they would continue to underline and sign the cargo there.

Underwriter.

That's pretty interesting... Thanks