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hikingbear
01-21-2010, 10:58
What do most people do about health insurance while thru-hiking. I will be taking a leave of absence from work. I can pay $500 a month to keep my benefits. I have looked into short term personal insurance and the cheapest I found was around $300 a month. Does anyone chance and go without being covered?

Thanks
Kerri

Farr Away
01-21-2010, 11:12
What about COBRA through your work?

cravj1988
01-21-2010, 11:14
Look for a major medical policy. Sometimes called "high deductible" or "catastrophic insurance". When I thruhiked in 2007, I had a major medical policy from a State Farm affiliate, it was $87/month.

It is similar to a liability car insurance policy. You pay for the oil changes and tune ups (i.e. the doctors visits with minor medical expenses) up to the deductable (mine was $3000 per year). After you reach the deductable, then you insurance kicks in. This insurance is similar to what our Grandparents had prior to the co-pay system in the US that most of us are acustomed to.

Red Hat
01-21-2010, 11:16
have the same problem... my husband passed away and so did my insurance... I can keep it for about $700 a month... or take a chance till I'm eligible for Medicare at 65. I guess I'm taking a chance...

jesse
01-21-2010, 11:18
Temporary Insurance will work, only if you know you have a group plan to go back on after the hike. Problem with temp insurance is its not guareenteed renewable. If you get ill, they can drop you after the term.

Spirit Walker
01-21-2010, 11:28
I've got a high deductible ($1500) Blue Cross plan. It's still too much money, but at least I am covered in case of major issues. When I was younger I didn't bother with insurance - but given my family history (much cancer), I felt the need to have some insurance as I get older. I get annual cancer screenings for free, so even the high deductible isn't that much of an issue.

Old Grouse
01-21-2010, 12:14
At work I was able to enroll in AFLAC accident insurance. This is not health insurance and doesn't replace it, but supplements it. It covers accidents that are not work related. So if I am injured while hiking and require medical treatment, the duck brings me cash, "which is as good as money." You still need health insurance, though.

emerald
01-21-2010, 15:20
Most definately something to think about and there's a message there as there is in the recurring threads on the topic. That's why I support the concept of a health insurance article which answers the questions for most people who contemplate long distance hikes.

Toolshed
01-21-2010, 16:09
Most definately something to think about and there's a message there as there is in the recurring threads on the topic. That's why I support the concept of a health insurance article which answers the questions for most people who contemplate long distance hikes.
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I'm sorry Em... I keep fergettin'....

emerald
01-21-2010, 16:14
http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=57608

Help AggieAl with his health insurance article already under way by clicking on the link provided and commenting on it.

buff_jeff
01-21-2010, 20:44
I've been wondering about this myself. Can you take out traveler's insurance for the AT, and is it cost effective (worthwhile)?

Lone Wolf
01-21-2010, 21:39
no insurance needed. in the unlikelyhood you have an emergency on the trail and have to go to an ER you WILL be treated regardless of your status. then you can choose to pay $10 a month or nothing at all

Hoofit
01-22-2010, 16:08
Insurance is such a ripoff in this country - if you're reasonably healthy, and you should be if you're going to attempt to do a thru-hike, then tread gently and best of luck. I have had no insurance here for seven years now and hope to do the trail this year. (Lots of naproxen!!)
Lone Wolf is right, any emergency care unit has to treat you if it really comes down to the crunch.
Find your pace and listen to your body.

Bob McCaw
01-22-2010, 16:13
I'll grant you that you can go to an ER and they probably won't turn you away, but then wouldn't you be the one ripping off someone?

This isn't in defense of insurance companies. The Massachusetts Attorney General's office makes health insurers tell their customers how many cents of each premium dollar goes towards paying claims. My company pays 44 cents on the dollar. Ouch!

Lone Wolf
01-22-2010, 16:26
I'll grant you that you can go to an ER and they probably won't turn you away, but then wouldn't you be the one ripping off someone?


no. you get a bill and give them $20 per month or more til it's paid off

QuarterPounder
01-22-2010, 16:52
I'll probably be a a little older than most of the thru hikers out there this year so I'm not willing to take the risk of going without health insurance. Having said that, I only want insurance for something really big and/or expensive (cancer, heart attack, stroke, etc.).

For that reason I go with a high deductable. My wife and I together total $347 per month with Anthem/Blus Shield. For me, it's worth it.

My son, who is 26 pays $52/month for similar coverage. If you factor that in over months, I'd go for that before I bought a new tent or the latest in ultralite gear.

Just my opinion:)

emerald
01-22-2010, 22:50
Healthy people in excellent condition can pick it up and it requires prompt care which can be expensive.:-?

Blissful
01-22-2010, 23:03
Make money and get yourself a plan (or work that has coverage). There are also catastrophic policies out there for little money if you are young and healthy - we had gotten one for our son temporarily that was less than $100 a month or something like that. Worth researching

generoll
01-23-2010, 09:54
keep in mind that while the ER has to treat you for serious injury, the pharmacy doesn't have to give you free meds. The ER might give you a prescription, but if it's not for a generic you might get a shock when you get to the pharmacy.

sbhikes
01-23-2010, 11:35
I quit my job to hike, so I paid for COBRA. I also made sure I went to the doc before I quit and got a bunch of anti-biotics and vicodin for the hike. After the hike was over, I went without insurance until my boyfriend set me up as a domestic partner on his company plan. Then I did my next hike with that, and with the same travel meds I got from the doc the year before.

Spot In The Sky
01-23-2010, 12:07
So of all of you that have completed the hike- was the insurance helpful? Did you end up using it?

Spot In The Sky
01-23-2010, 12:09
A quick search and I came up with this...
any suggestions?
http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/ehi/short-term-health-insurance.fs

sbhikes
01-23-2010, 12:13
I never used my insurance. I didn't even use it when I went home with injuries. I don't need to funnel a whole bunch of money through an insurance company just to have a doctor prescribe RICE.

AggieAl
01-23-2010, 12:22
You wouldn't do a hike without proper shelter or clothing.Most of us consider people who have to be rescued because they go hiking without proper equipment to be irresponsible. They will be rescued and other taxpayers will have to pay.

The same applies to using emergency rooms. If a patient does not pay then other taxpayers have to pay for them. It is not free.

I do welcome comments on the article that I am working on.

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=57608

DrRichardCranium
01-23-2010, 12:23
Yeah, I don't know what to think. I'm 45 & fit. I haven't broken a bone or even needed a precription drug since I got my wisdom teeth pulled when I was about 23. I've been pumping money into health insurance most of that time (through my workplace) and almost never needed it. Health insurance companies make a lot of money off people like me who pay every month but almost never need anything from doctors.

I'm going to quit my job to thru-hike starting in March, but I am considering just skipping the heath insurance.

AggieAl
01-23-2010, 12:40
sbhikes makes a very good point. The best risk management approach is to avoid emergency rooms. I discussed the problems of a thru hike with my doctor, who is also a hiker.

He gave me prescriptions for antibiotics, flagyl, something for nausea, diarrhea, & pain. Get cheap generics at places such as Walgreens or Wal-Mart. Be sure and carry a card with any important medical information such as allergies and the phone number of your doctor.

This is cheap and light.

Now I am praying for good weather.

Spirit Walker
01-23-2010, 12:51
I thruhiked several times without insurance and only went to the ER once, when a rockslide took off the end of my finger. That one cost me about $600. In my case, not having insurance worked out. When I was younger, I went 11 years without seeing a doctor, because I had no insurance. Fortunately for me, I never needed one. As I got older, I began doing annual checkups because of high cancer rates in my family. I got insurance, because I know I couldn't otherwise afford to be treated if I did get sick.

OTOH, I've known hikers who were in car accidents driving to a hostel, one who fell off a rock and had her face smashed in, several who had lyme or giardia, one who had plague (an Australian a few years ago), a few who had heart problems while on the trail that required surgery, several with broken foot bones, shin splints, tendinitis, etc. And one who overdosed on Ibuprofen she was using to mask the pain in her knees and made herself sick enough she had to go home.

IOW, it's a gamble. You can be careful as you can be, and still have bad luck. If you have the money available to pay for treatment ifsomething bad happens, then don't bother with insurance. If a serious injury would bankrupt you completely or put you in debt for years, then it may be worthwhile getting insurance.

emerald
01-23-2010, 17:45
If a serious injury would bankrupt you completely or put you in debt for years, then it may be worthwhile getting insurance.

Wouldn't that apply to nearly everyone? The few to whom it wouldn't apply could easily afford medical insurance and wouldn't risk not having it.:-?

emerald
01-23-2010, 17:48
If anyone wants to sift through old threads for gems, I collected those which looked promising based upon their titles last year.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=781391&postcount=11 (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=781391&postcount=11)

Let AggieAl and anyone else who may be interested know what might be worthy of addition to a WhiteBlaze health insurance article by linking it with a comment to his submission article.

prain4u
01-27-2010, 05:13
For what it is worth--if you can get health insurance (or keep health insurance) get it and hold on to it! I know it is costly and a pain (especially if making a COBRA payment). However, all it takes is one bad illness or one severe injury to 1) Bankrupt you. or 2) Make you basically uninsurable.

Even some good insurance policies at the workplace don't cover pre-existing conditions. Thus, when you get off the trail and get that new job--the new insurance may not cover any pre-existing conditions that you may have developed.

Any one of us may be healthy today and develop a pre-existing condition tomorrow.

A healthy friend of mine (jogger etc) had a totally unexpected heart attack at age 36! It is now difficult for him to get coverage--unless he is part of a corporation's group plan. (He WAS self-employed prior to the heart attack). I know a young man who at (age 21) sustained a severe brain injury from a very freak bump to the head. He had no insurance--because he was young and healthy. He spent two months in the hospital and lots of time in physical therapy after that. He is also having trouble getting insurance due to seizures and due to some other issues related to his brain injury.

BOTTOM LINE: A freak accident or an unexpected illness can sometimes prevent you from getting insurance--or severely limit your insurance or employment options. Please get health (and life?) insurance while you can and hold on to it! It is better to have it--and not need it; than to need it and not have it!

AUhiker90
02-02-2010, 19:18
What is insuarance

AUhiker90
02-02-2010, 19:19
insurance*

River Dog
02-03-2010, 10:59
I am quitting my job at the end of February to begin my thru-hike in mid-march. I could have elected to continue my current health care coverage through COBRA, however it is much more expensive than other options, and much more coverage than I need considering my circumstances. Instead, I applied for Blue Cross Blue Shield's essential key-care plan. I was quoted at $66 a month and it is a month to month plan. My deductible is $2500/year which sounds high, but I figure it will ease my mind knowing I have coverage in case of an emergency.

DavidNH
02-03-2010, 11:12
health insurance is a rip off in this country. The whole medical system is (but I don't want to get into this debate).

Suffice it to say you are really treading thin ice if you try a thru hike with no health insurance. Yes you may make it ok. you could also break a bone, get sick, get lyme disease or who knows what else. A miss hap could set you back thousands or even tens of thousands.

David

DawnTreader
02-03-2010, 11:15
no insurance needed. in the unlikelyhood you have an emergency on the trail and have to go to an ER you WILL be treated regardless of your status. then you can choose to pay $10 a month or nothing at all
I like your thinking LW... I've never hiked with insurance before, but recently I got lucky and got insurance.. however, your plan is not a realistic option for most people.. Too many variables not only on the trail, but life in general.. Unfortunaltely, unpaid hospital bills may or may not effect your credit score, and in the real world, god damn it, employers are now looking at credit history before they hire you...(Does anyone else think this should be against the law?) I hate the insurance issue, but I feel a great sense of relief since I've been covered.
There will be no cheap option for the poster unfortunately.. You either bite the bullet or take your chances...

traildust
02-03-2010, 11:23
We had a visit to the hospital in North Adams in 07 when wife went off the trail with tendonitis in the knee. Emergency room and then visit with a sports ortho cost us over $500.00 since the deductible was $1000. The pain meds came in handy but she was done for the season. High deductibles are great if there is a major hospital issue. Surgery for trama. Broken bones, etc will cost you between 500 and 1000 dollars out of your pocket. Save your money if you are young nd healthy going in. Odds are you will be hurt going to and from the trail so stay on the trail, don't over due it, watch what you are doing the last hour of the day as you come into camp. I have seen more folks let their guard down the last couple miles into camp and they fall, twist and ankle etc...

10-K
02-03-2010, 11:27
IMO, everyone should have health insurance.

I find it ironic that we have to insure our cars but not our bodies.

rickb
02-04-2010, 08:22
no. you get a bill and give them $20 per month or more til it's paid off

I am very surprised to hear that from you.

You probably got a great deal, but I know that the cost associated with many heart attacks and all the subsequent aftercare can cost 10's and even hundreds of thousands of dollars. You can't buy used stents off e-bay.

If you didn't have insurance of any kind, what steps would you have had to have taken to protect your home and portfolio? I know Exxon stock has taken a beating, but even so. I imagine that its still worth keeping whats left for yourself.

If I thought my family's exposure in such situations would be limited to $240 a year, I'd take your advise in a heart beat.

Or are you just joking when you give such advise.

Toolshed
02-04-2010, 08:29
I am very surprised to hear that from you.

You probably got a great deal, but I know that the cost associated with many heart attacks and all the subsequent after care can cost 10's and even hundreds of thousands of dollars. You can't buy used stents off e-bay.

If you didn't have insurance of any kind, what steps would you have had to take to protect your home and portfolio. I know Exxon stock has taken a beating, but even so.

If I thought my family's exposure in such situations would be limited to $240 a year, I'd take your advise in a heart beat.

Or are you just joking when you give such advise.
He's saying just pay enough to keep the debt collectors off his back.

I rec'd an $81,600 hospital bill yesterday for an 8-night stay without surgery. I have to pay $1,094. Insurance pays $6,600. The rest goes to padding bills of the uninsured. I'd say insurance worked well for me.