No medical insurance and getting hurt while jumping

[PhreeZone 20]

I'm looking at possibly being unemployed and with that comes the loss of my above average insurance plan. I don't plan on getting hurt but you know how things never happen as you planned them... Right now I'm looking for alternitive insurance to cover me if I do get let go. I'll probally stop jumping if I can't find it.

Whats everyone elses opinions on jumping with out medical insurance?

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[CrazyIvan 0]

Can you say CHARITY CARE?, If you're unemployed and NO insurance, that's the ticket.

__________________________________________
Blue Skies and May the Force be with you.

[mujie96 0]

Hm...my credit rating or my happiness?
I will risk the bad credit and keep jumping. Its not MY fault American health care sucks.

Just keep swimming...just keep swimming....

[freeflir29 0]

www.insweb.com/



Try out that URL. I got my car insurance there and it KICKED ASS!!! You just absolutely SHOULD NOT jump without some kind of coverage. I know after I got out of the Air Force I got a 6 month policy that only covered major injuries. It was just hospitalization. Didn't cover anything else. It was cheap....like $230 for 6 months and at least covered my ass if I was to get seriously broken on a jump.

[Nightingale 0]

when you leave a job, whether you're laid off, quit, or fired, they should offer you something called COBRA benefits... with the COBRA program, you can pay out of pocket to continue things like health insurance. Mine cost around $200 a month to continue til my new insurance kicked in, but it was worth it to not be without insurance, because you never know what's going to happen. Better to pay $200 a month and not need your insurance, than not pay $200 and end up paying $10,000 because you were in an auto accident or something and didn't have your insurance.

[kiltboy 0]

I'm not going to vote on this but I'll add my opinion.

I have no insurance (no benefits in this temp job) and I have jumped but I was very conservative and a little worried when it came to landing.

I fly a PD190 loaded around 0.95:1 and I land in the big landing area. I would think higher loaded canpoy pilots trying to land in busy areas may be more at risk.

Just my 2 cents

David

[freeflir29 0]

Quote

Mine cost around $200 a month to continue

Uhhhh...I had a nice Blue Cross/Blue Shield policy that I only paid $130 for when I was self employed.

[skymama 37]

Definitely go for Cobra. Even if you are very careful, you can't count on all the other idiots out there not to hurt you.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[PhreeZone 20]

BC\BS is by far the best option I've seen for my self. I'm looking at if I am unemployed just working ad-hoc so I'd need coverage like that. COBRA would work but its only good for short term.

And yeah... I'm sure my friends (Wildblue, Jessicakes, Vallerina) would help me out by:

Vallerina would make sure my Birdman suit got jumped all the time.
Wildblue would dump salt into the woulds that I suffered.
Jessicakes would grind the salt in that Wildblue poured.

Gotta love my friends

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[mujie96 0]

Wow, I'm a degenerate.
If the Blue Cross website was in ENGLISH I might consider it but basically what I'm getting out of it is-we're going to word this so we don't ever have to pay you for anything....ever.....

Just keep swimming...just keep swimming....

[sunshine 2]

Your best option is to find a chick with awesome medical insurance and marry her. That being said my insurance is not awesome...

I have medical insurance. It may not be the best, but it pays most of my expenses. I think i get stuck with somewhere around 20% of expenses. My portion of expenses is still pretty high compared to most insurance plans. It would be a nice gesture of my friends to take up a collection, but i wouldn't expect it.

If someone is jumping without insurance they should eliminate as many risks as possible. That would include not jumping an extreme canopy with a high wingloading, and not doing hook turns/extreme landings.

I do have a freind that was severly injured and had no insurance. I wanted to do a fund raiser for him and he said no. But if he turned around and got injured a second time with no insurance, then i'd be pretty pissed. At least learn from the first mistake, and don't start jumping again until you have insurance. (which btw this freind i'm referring to does now have insurance)

___________________________________________
meow

I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug!

[airtwardo 7]

It's a concern!

I've been W/O coverage for going on 5 years...

Self-employed, mashed up so many times it's
WAY to expensive!

Dumb I know...I should look into getting SOMETHING...

On the other hand....

Kinda keeps ya from doing hook turns!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[PhillyKev 0]

Quote

COBRA would work but its only good for short term.

You can stay on Cobra for 18 months.

[PhreeZone 20]

For the price of Cobra I can get a self employed policy with BC\BS that would cover me even if my employment suddenly becomes airplane loader.

I'm basically exploring options before work decides what they ware going to do...

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[flyangel2 2]

Quote

Quote

COBRA would work but its only good for short term.

You can stay on Cobra for 18 months.

The way it's worked for me, my COBRA is up the end of Jan. Then I'm allowed to keep the same insurance through "open enrollment."

IMO, jumping without insurance isn't a good idea. There are way too many things that can happen.

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

[mouth 0]

I can tell you now that even having insurance doesn't guarantee you will be covered...just look at my ambulance bill from California that wasn't covered at the tune of $992.

Personally I don't mind helping someone who has insurance but is in need simply because they did something to help themselves; however, I feel that if you can afford to jump as much as some people do without insurance then you also need to be able to deal with the consequences of all that jumping w/o insurance.

That said look around and find some insurance or do like Sunny suggested and marry a rich chick to support you and provide insurance for you.

--
Hot Mama
At least you know where you stand even if it is in a pile of shit.

[skybabe76 0]

Well here's a scenario for you to think about ....

Memorial Day weekend, we had a freeflyer/cameraman/Nationals competitor have a canopy collision and land smack on the runway in Florida (his home DZ is in NorCal). Broke his pelvis and hip ... has no medical insurance .... has racked up bills with the hospital and surgeon in Florida in excess of $100,000. He just filed bankrupcy a year ago, so now he has to wait 6 years to file bankrupcy again for these bills. And he's 30 years old!!!! Very scary.

Be careful; get insurance. It's worth it.

"If you're going to be stupid, you better be tough!"

[Vallerina 2]

Quote

Vallerina would make sure my Birdman suit got jumped all the time.

I'm not ashamed to say that I would do that. Don't worry, I would go visit you in the hospital at night or during rainy weather as long as I can sneak myself a beer in. You'll be on good drugs, so you won't need alcohol.

Anyways, it all goes back to being responsible and if you can accept the actions of your consequences. If you can accept the idea that you could be seriously injured and have no help whatsoever, then go for it...jump without insurance. If you can't, then get the insurance.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[steve1 5]

I rodeoed and skydived both in the 70's without any type of insurance. I didn't own much then and medical fees weren't near what they are today, and I never was too bright. I wouldn't do the same today though. Times are different.....An option might be to move to Canada. I hear they have socialized medicine up there and the scenery is real purty......Steve1

[dropdeded 0]

When I broke my leg, I had no insurance through work. I really never thought about what the hell I would do if I got hurt. I knew getting hurt was always a possibility but never really comprehended that if I DID get hurt, that shit (medical bills) cost a LOT.
I went through a LOT of interviews and paperwork, and there is a program for "indigent" adults in Ca. that paid for my bills.
You know, even working my ass off I was still "indigent"

dropdeded

------------------------------------------
The Dude Abides.
-

[diverdriver 7]

Self Responsibility says it all.

[rgoper 0]

i own my own business and have for quite some time. i have industrial liability insurance and vehichle coverage and personal injury to cover me to and from work. my life insurance policy dropped me like an anvil in the atlantic when i started sky diving, that pissed me off. because of my profession ie: petroleum industry, and having to be on the actual drilling site my personal insurance will not cover me, but my industrial will, if i get injured or killed working overseas (during transit, etc...) the insurance will not cover me then either because of the "terrorist clause" added after 09/11. if you go to buy insurance, make sure there are no "grey areas" in the policy and take a magnifying glass with you to read the fine print on the back of the page at the bottom. right now, if i get hurt sky diving, it's all on me, BC/BS really sucks.

--Richard--
"We Will Not Be Shaken By Thugs, And Terroist"

[dbattman 0]

COBRA works fine, but it is only practical if you have a pre-existing condition that needs to be covered in the future. Otherwise it is quite expensive- you need to conver your cost, employers cost, plus a premium.

Check with your HR department- just getting a private policy may be the most practical and cost-effective.

[wmw999 2,589]

Quote

I rodeoed and skydived both in the 70's without any type of insurance. I didn't own much then and medical fees weren't near what they are today, and I never was too bright. I wouldn't do the same today though

I didn't rodeo, but that pretty much is what I did when I was young and stupid. Or lucky. But I was young enough not to care about the downstream effects of potentially costing a whole lot of tax dollars.

Damn -- maturing sure sucks sometimes

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Jessica 0]

Quote

Jessicakes would grind the salt in that Wildblue poured.

No no, I would use the salt on the margaritas that we would drink in front of you.

Then I would swipe your Jedei.

Thus completing the circle of what y'all did to wildblue when he was broken.

When I was thinking about cutting away I got some good advice in a thread I started in General Skydiving. I'm home on a dialup so I'm not gonna look for it though.

Skydiving is for cool people only