shh-DAN-agins

shell-back

For Immediate Release

EFFECTIVE MARCH 9, 2006, AND UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, DAN America dive insurance is no longer accepted for payment at hyperbaric chambers in following dive destinations:

Bahamas
Baja California
Belize
Cancun
Cozumel
Galapagos
Phuket, Thailand
Playa del Carmen
Samui, Thailand
Yucatan, Mexico

All divers carrying DAN America dive insurance and diving in these locations should be prepared to pay out-of-pocket for any medical service rendered, because these chambers will not accept DAN America's insurance or DAN America's credit card as a method of payment. Hyperbaric chambers in other locations are currently considering joining this group and not accepting DAN America insurance.

This consortium of chambers has been forced to sue DAN America in federal court in the United States due to unpaid medical claims, some dating as far back as 2004. The financial burden of not being paid has forced several chambers in remote locations to consider closing down. In order to remain open, these chambers can no longer treat DAN America patients and not be paid.

Of note, while DAN America is a non-profit research organization based in the US, its insurance product is underwritten/re-insured by a for-profit organization that is wholly-owned by DAN America called Accident & General Insurance Ltd., based in the Cayman Islands. DAN America has claimed a rate dispute as the reason for non-payment, saying that the rates are above what DAN America considers reasonable and customary in the locality. However, major medical insurers (including Blue Cross Blue
Shield, Humana, Prudential and Kaiser Permanente), DAN Europe, DAN Southern Africa, DAN SEAP as well as all other dive insurers have accepted these same rates as appropriate and paid their bills.

This action only applies to DAN America insurance and not any other insurance coverage including DAN Europe, DAN Southern Africa, DAN Japan or DAN SEAP.

For further information regarding DAN America's for-profit subsidiaries, please see the last 5 pages of their latest IRS tax filing here:
http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2004/561/696/2004-561696689-1-9.pdf

For further information regarding DAN America's performance as a non-profit organization, please see the report from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of non-profits, who gives DAN America an overall rating of one out of four stars:
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/6487.htm


For further information, please contact communications@sssnetwork.com

__________________
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance -- it is the illusion of knowledge. ----Daniel Boorstin
Billy Beal
SDITDI IT #3507
Rebreather World FIGJAM commitee member

Toren

It'll be interesting to hear their reply to this development.

__________________


------
"Sh*t does happen, it is our job to keep it a minor annoyance by training, proper gear configuration, emergency skills practice and a survival mindset."
--Ron Micjan

Genesis

Ok this officially sucks.

I'm going to Belize in three weeks, I have every intention of diving, and guess what - I have DAN dive insurance.

__________________
"A venturesome minority will always be eager to get off on their own, and no obstacles should be placed in their path; let them take risks for Godsake, let them get lost, sunburnt, stranded, drowned, eaten by bears, buried alive under avalanches - that is the right and privilege of any free American."
http://www.denninger.net
http://www.diversunion.org/liability.htm - Fix the Diving Cert racket

abowie

Will DAN SEAP accept membership from those living in the US?

If so sign up with them; that'll solve your problem.

It might be worth contacting DAN America to see what they think your potential "out of pocket" expenses might be.

__________________
Andrew Bowie

Rebreather-friendly Buddy

onetime

Looks like it's the same group as last time just playing publicity games, IMO. I suspect DAN will treat it the same way as they did a month or two ago. First and foremost, the SSS centers may not be the only chambers in these locations. Second, DAN assured its members that they would do everything possible to insure treatment at the centers they were in dispute with. I trust that DAN will follow through as they always seem to have been there for all the divers that I've known or heard about who required treatment. In the end, the centers want to get paid for doing their work. If you show up without the ability to hand over several thousand dollars to begin treatment they aren't going to turn you away. Of course, each person must make their own decision on whether you're willing to trust in that or not.

Genesis

Insuring treatment is not the same thing as insuring PAYMENT!

If I cannot be reasonably certain that if I require treatment I will not end up having to sue somebody to get the bill repaid, having had to hand over a credit card with essentially unlimited funds (or make other similar arrangements) in order to be discharged, then as far as I'm concerned the DAN insurance is worthless.

This has all been academic for me until recently, because the only chambers involved were in places I was not planning to go. But this latest press release specifically names Belize - where I will be in about three weeks for the explicit purpose of diving!

I'm going to call DAN tomorrow; a press release from them won't cut it in this case, as what we've got at this point is a statement that their insurance is no good there. Thus, only some written (official) assurance from DAN that my insurance is good leaves me reaosnably certain that what I bought is what I'm going to get if (god forbid!) I need it.

__________________
"A venturesome minority will always be eager to get off on their own, and no obstacles should be placed in their path; let them take risks for Godsake, let them get lost, sunburnt, stranded, drowned, eaten by bears, buried alive under avalanches - that is the right and privilege of any free American."
http://www.denninger.net
http://www.diversunion.org/liability.htm - Fix the Diving Cert racket

Rich Sawkins

In my experience no. When I first got insurance here in Australia I had to proce I was living in Australia (and not just passing through on a tourist visa), other wise they would have made me take out cover with who ever covers my "country of residence".

onetime

DAN has repeatedly posted that they guarantee payment for treatment and that its members will not have to pay anything. This was communicated through email and postings on their web page. DAN is a reputable company and it's in their best interests to make sure their customers are covered as the covenant between members and the company is intended.

Genesis

DAN can post anything they want, but they haven't managed to settle the underlying issue, and now I have a trip planned within the next three weeks (over "spring break" time) to Belize where this expansion of hostilities threatens to impact me.

In fact, their last communication on this (DAN's) from January said that there were only three chambers affected. Now suddenly its the entire network and most importantly, the ones in the area I intend to visit on my vacation have decided they will not accept anything DAN-USA related - not even a DAN credit card! DAN's "press release" says there are nine "PRO-DAN" chambers in the network - apparently that's no longer true!

In the (admittedly unlikely) event that I require the services of a chamber while in Belize, this would mean that I would have to figure out how to pay for it out of pocket and then be reimbursed - at whatever level DAN decides is "reasonable and customary", which may not be the amount I have already paid! There is no effective means for me to sue a non-US firm from the United States (post-incident) and DAN has their insurance company (which is a for-profit subsidiary) based in the Caymans - where I also can't conveniently go after them. As a consequence there would be no way for me to recover the money they've already received!

The result of this is that I've been quite-effectively placed on notice that I have no coverage during this trip. If this can't be resolved prior to my departing the US, I believe it is only prudent that I secure alternative coverage which is acceptable - and once I've done that, I may as well dump DAN entirely, because there's no point in paying for something twice.

Something on the web is not enough.

I have tried to call DAN - and got voicemail. We'll see how long it takes them to return my call.....

IMHO its time for divers to take their business elsewhere. I have been bothered by the "offshore" election for this insurance firm's base and allegations of improprieties regarding the former Bennett's actions with regards to the insurance subsidiary, but have up until now been swayed to remain with DAN due to the work they do in hyperbaric research.

At the point that it appears that I may have purchased a worthless insurance policy, however, its time to say "enough is enough", and perhaps to write some letters to a few regulators too.

Health insurance providers in Florida, for example, must be licensed here and meet standards here. Same with life insurance companies, etc. Perhaps its time for some state AGs to start looking into these policies and see if the state standards are met for offering these alleged services to residents of this state. I think its time for a quick letter to the Florida AG, as this is a regulated line of business in Florida.

__________________
"A venturesome minority will always be eager to get off on their own, and no obstacles should be placed in their path; let them take risks for Godsake, let them get lost, sunburnt, stranded, drowned, eaten by bears, buried alive under avalanches - that is the right and privilege of any free American."
http://www.denninger.net
http://www.diversunion.org/liability.htm - Fix the Diving Cert racket

onetime

You seem to be implying that DAN lied about how many chambers this affects when in fact, per the date of the SSS announcement, it's a new development. Feel free to take your business elsewhere. I suspect that SSS will not be content to take on DAN and, if they're successful in this war of press releases, will move on to the other insurance agencies. If you think that it's fraud because there's a dispute over payments, then you better look much more closely at your health insurance companies as there are plenty of things it doesn't cover and the coverages change continually even while your policy is in effect. DAN has served the industry extremely well for decades, one dispute with one chamber operator hardly begs the question of whether they're mismanaged or have done anything remotely warranting AG intervention.