Health Insurance

[greenmanner]

I have a plan to thru-hike the AT but I'm wondering about health insurance. This would be when I was unemployed (between jobs) and I am considering the cost of buying health insurance. Did anyone do this? Or did those of you without a plan already simply go without? Did anyone have trouble with either acquiring insurance (if you were honest and explained you were hiking for months on end) or after you required treatment?

Thanks for your help. I would like to be able to hike without thinking a bad injury would completely erase all my savings.

[DavidNH]

It is expensive to have health insurance. However, if in this country you have no choice. One accident could wipe you out.

Look into cobra. If not that look into a temp insurance. Otherwise take your chances.

David

[fiddlehead]

There's been a few threads on this in the past 2 weeks alone. (and lots before that)
You should use the search feature to find out pros and cons.

It's been debated almost (i said almost) as much as water filters lately.
I say: go without both of them.

[emerald]

Such a decision should take the individual's medical history into consideration.

[crazyjames]

It's really important to take care of your Healthy

[wcgornto]

Did anyone have trouble with either acquiring insurance (if you were honest and explained you were hiking for months on end) or after you required treatment?

The online temporary health insurance offerings do not ask if you are hiking. They generally ask about smoking, extreme obesity and a few pre-existing conditions. The offerings by Assurant Health generally have instant online approval, while other offerings might take a day or two. Those that take a day or two generally do not ask for any followup information in addition to that which was provided online.

For foreign temporary health insurance, there is generally a "hazardous sports" exclusion, which among other things, would exclude hiking above 4500 meters (i.e. approx. 15,000 feet). Generally, this exclusion can be removed for a small additional premium. I have not seen this exclusion on US coverage, since outside of Alaska, there is nothing above this altitude.

I have purchased temporary insurance from ehealthinsurance.com (US) and sevencorners.com (Foreign) without incident or delay, and I do a lot of hiking.

For hiking the AT, the only relevant concerns about coverage exclusions are pre-existing conditions, which would be a concern with individual health insurance coverage whether you are hiking or not.

[Rockhound]

If you tell you potential provider that you plan to hike in the woods for 6 months he might mark you down as having a preexisting mental condition.

[KG4FAM]

Did anyone have trouble with either acquiring insurance (if you were honest and explained you were hiking for months on end) or after you required treatment?

I don't know why they wouldn't insure you for walking every day. Seem like it would be in their interest for you to get regular exercise.

[emerald]

People in the insurance business are in it to generate revenue last I heard.

[emerald]

I'd like to challenge those who suggest searching here for information about health insurance to do as they suggest. Tell us what you find that's helpful and how long takes. I'd really like to know.

Could you provide a link to an especially good thread, a post comparing policy types or costs and their respective risks and benefits? How about a list of providers? I contend it's not the straight-forward exercise some seem to be suggesting and it's why I've proposed an article.

I'd rather see the discussion in the comments section of the article, but I'll take it any way it comes. Next year, I hope to be able to provide a single link which will answer most questions. With the help of those here who have a personal interest and knowledge about this topic, we may be able to do just that.

[Toolshed]

People in the insurance business are in it to generate revenue last I heard.

With exception of a very small percentage of the population that sacrafice to live in poverty while helping others, isn't that what we are all in this game to do? At some varying level??

[KG4FAM]

People in the insurance business are in it to generate revenue last I heard.

and the people they insure are their investments. A healthy person to them is just like a person with a high FICO score to a mortgage company.

[fiddlehead]

Well I'll post something based on my history.

I stopped my health insurance in 1987 because they refused to pay for an injury where i needed about 7 stitches in my hand. (said i waited more than 24 hours so they wouldn't cover )
I had been paying around $290 or 300 a month.

Since that time, i have done 6 1/2 thru hikes as well as some long distance overseas hikes. (and many shorter hikes) I don't know the total cost of all that hiking but would guess that it was aprox. $4,000 per year that i thru'd and maybe half to 2/3 of that price for the other stuff.

In other words, my savings on my insurance premiums pretty much covered my 20,000 miles of hiking.

On the other hand, i went to hospitals twice in the US. One time it was $300 and the other it was closer to $500 (both times it was spider bites) I paid out of pocket. (i always had the feeling that they wouldn't have paid anyway as again, i waited more than 24 hours before going to a hospital)

I did have to go to a hospital in Australia as i had contacted TB in Nepal and since they have national health care in that country, they wouldn't take my money.

Now if you're unhealthy and prone to disaster, you might not want to try it, but if you like to hike and can't afford it because you are paying insurance...............well

[greenmanner]

Thanks for all your replies. I justed checked into Assurant temporary insurance. I noticed among the list of things not covered are:

• Treatment or services required due to an injury received while engaging in any hazardous occupation or other hazardous activity

I'll bet that if you called up and asked whether breaking an ankle thru-hiking the AT is covered, they would say no way. Maybe someone out there actually looked into this?

The reason I bring this up is that I've heard of people who've gotten injured while hiking (one fellow I knew hiking the CDT) and when they injured themselves the insurance company basically told them to shove it--you shouldn't have been out there in the first place, even if you've been paying us thousands of dollars for years and you've never even gotten sick until now.

Hell of a system we got going here in the states. Everyone I know from other prosperous countries just shakes their head. Me, I'm thinking of getting into the health care biz--doesn't look like the government's going to change anything very quickly, so I figure we all might as well try to make a buck off other people's misery.

[emerald]

I appreciate your response. You approach worked for you. You took risks and you benefitted. I'm not sure everyone could be expected to experience the same outcome you did.

Given what I've read about your accomplishments, it's clear you are an exceptionally healthy person. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd be in the top 5% of the U.S. population or at least once were, but it is true we all get older and as we age the risks involved with going uninsured increase.

Those who have accumulated assets and hope to be secure in their retirement should be especially concerned about protecting their assets they have worked hard to accumulate.

[yappy]

I don't have insurance either.. I haven't in years. Knock on wood. Our lifestyle up here is fairly ruff and the hiking is a ' wreck waiting to happen " so to speak but we can't afford it. and, honestly, don't worry too much. I worry more for Brad as he has had cancer and an ulcer and they cost him in many more ways then $ . I seem to be healthy as a horse for NOW. We both know that our lifestyle choices are our responsiblility but we wouldn't change a thing.

[emerald]

Keep thinking, asking questions and posting your thoughts. I'm interested in learning what through hikers in your position are thinking and want to know how we can help provide the kind of information desired in a form that is easily accessible.

[fiddlehead]

Gotta say something here.
I just got back from my morning jog.
Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it feels like work.
Today was one of the latter.

When i have these kind of days, and start to wonder why i do this to myself, it reminds me that it is keeping me healthy. I believe that 3 days a week ( or more) of a good cardio vascular workout is my alternative to paying health insurance.
I rarely get sick but i know a guy who jogs everyday and has been sick 2 days out of the last 18 years!
I have another friend who jogs because every male in his family has died before his 55th birthday (my friend jogs everyday and is now 56 years old)

Usually i jog because I love it, but today, i jogged for my health.

[greenmanner]

Well, fiddlehead I generally agree with you that exercise is the way to stay healthy--head and shoulders above going to the doctor all the time. But accidents do happen and that's what I'm concerned about. Couple weeks ago I was walking on the sidewalk going to work (after a winter storm), was dodging some ice, and slipped, falling on and twisting my knee very badly. I managed to walk back to my home due to adrenaline, but I know if I'd been carrying a pack or walking on hills, I wouldn't have been able to make it. It was just a little reminder that you can hurt yourself when you least suspect it. The knee took a week to get better, and now is pretty much fine--but if I had 50 pounds on my back when I slipped, it could have torn a ligament instead of just spraining it.

A friend of mine was thru-hiking the CDT, made it all the way from the Mexican border to Montana, slipped on some loose rocks, and tore tendons in his ankle. Couldn't put any way weight on it and had to lay there for four days until somebody came along. Luckily that guy had good (New Zealand) health insurance.

I just wish we call could live our lives without this whole health insurance problem hanging over our heads. I'd be somewhat happy if a US insurance company just created a "temporary thru-hiker plan" that was reasonable in cost--I'm sure the statistics show we're one of the safest, healthiest groups to "invest" in. Any insurance people on this board?

Gotta say something here.
I just got back from my morning jog.
Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it feels like work.
Today was one of the latter.

When i have these kind of days, and start to wonder why i do this to myself, it reminds me that it is keeping me healthy. I believe that 3 days a week ( or more) of a good cardio vascular workout is my alternative to paying health insurance.
I rarely get sick but i know a guy who jogs everyday and has been sick 2 days out of the last 18 years!
I have another friend who jogs because every male in his family has died before his 55th birthday (my friend jogs everyday and is now 56 years old)

Usually i jog because I love it, but today, i jogged for my health.

[mrc237]

I have a plan to thru-hike the AT but I'm wondering about health insurance. This would be when I was unemployed (between jobs) and I am considering the cost of buying health insurance. Did anyone do this? Or did those of you without a plan already simply go without? Did anyone have trouble with either acquiring insurance (if you were honest and explained you were hiking for months on end) or after you required treatment?

Thanks for your help. I would like to be able to hike without thinking a bad injury would completely erase all my savings.

Personally I think its irresponsible to thru-hike without some sort of health ins. unless you've got nothing to protect.