Insurance?

[Hurley]

Hey guys, my name is Hurley (I'm 22) and the way things are headed I'll be starting a thru-hike NOBO around the start of March. Since I will be doing the trail then and not taking any college courses I will no longer be on my parents insurance plan. I was just wondering what sort of plans you guys have (if any)? Or if you could reccomend anything to me that is low cost. I think it would be completely ignorant to go out there and not be covered somewhat. Hospital could sink the trip real quick if something were to happen.

Also, how readily available is computer/internet access along the AT?

[take-a-knee]

Most maladies that might befall you, stress fractures, diarhea, etc won't be covered by most insurance plans anyway so why bother with it? Just don't set yourself on fire with a stove. I don't think Jim Bridger worried about his health plan.

[hopefulhiker]

One thing I did was get my doctor to prescribe some good antibiotics in advance so I had them.. I ended up using them when a blister got infected...

[Hurley]

Good plan. It's not necessarily a huge concern with me. More or less something to keep the folks happy about while I'm gone.

[Moon Monster]

The search function on this web site will lead you to dozens of threads already on topic. This one links to many of those:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...ight=insurance

[ChinMusic]

Most maladies that might befall you, stress fractures, diarhea, etc won't be covered by most insurance plans anyway so why bother with it?

One fall and you may find yourself WISHING you had insurance. I view the opinion of going without totally irresponsible.

And yes, this is a parent talking.....

[dockaos]

One fall and you may find yourself WISHING you had insurance. I view the opinion of going without totally irresponsible.

Chin,

Gotta say that I agree with you. At a minimum I would find a cheap plan with a high deductable. Just check the coverage closely before signing on the dotted line. My insurance covered a recent stress facture quite nicely and I still came out ahead, even after factoring in premiums.

Granted, when I was 22, I didn't have much use for medical insurance, but I wasn't planning on a six month trip in the wilderness, either.

[dessertrat]

You can get a good plan to cover major stuff such as broken bones, at your age, for less than $200 per month. It is worth having. Just get HMO Blue or something, with the highest deductible.

[mrc237]

Shop around you have the time. If $ is a factor find a PT job to pay for it. Going without it is risky. Ask M/D maybe there's a rider on their policy you can pay.

[silken]

Blue Cross Blue Shield of (whatever state you are from) seems to have the best prices. I'm a graduating college senior myself, and I'm 20 and I'll be without insurance so I've been checking it all out. I'm hoping to go NOBO in March.

[wrongway_08]

I know I'm going to catch it for this but I have never had insurance.
There is a big chunk I keep aside in case something happens.

If you dont have a "oops" fund saved up, a cheap insurance plan would be a good idea.

[ChinMusic]

I know I'm going to catch it for this but I have never had insurance.
There is a big chunk I keep aside in case something happens.

If you dont have a "oops" fund saved up, a cheap insurance plan would be a good idea.

Insurance is something you hope to never use.

Would you go through life without insuring your home? ( some do and cry for governmental help once disaster strikes)
Would you go through life without insuring your car? (against the law in most, if not all, states)

You roll the dice ya takes your chances....

[gravityman]

We got a "major medical" insurance policy for 6 months from somewhere... Travelers? That sounds right. It was something like 250 for 6 months. You can only renew for another 6 months, and then they drop you.

It's totally worth it, and does what insurance is meant to do - protect you from MAJOR financial hits. It's not meant to "make you whole" as most Americans expect thier health insurance to do.

Gravity and Danger

[The Solemates]

Most maladies that might befall you, stress fractures, diarhea, etc won't be covered by most insurance plans anyway so why bother with it? Just don't set yourself on fire with a stove. I don't think Jim Bridger worried about his health plan.

one thing I wouldnt suggest doing is listening to this guy. if you fall in mahoosic notch and break your leg and slip into a coma from a concussion for 4 days, then your screwed.

not only that, picking up insurance when you get back off the trail will be a hassle. most companies will not cover you if you've had a lapse in 'non'-coverage.

getting cheap "catastrophic cut your head off" type of insurance is what we did. we were able to get some for about $1000 for the two of us for 6 months.

[Dancer]

I know this won't help you Hurley but it might help others out there like myself.

I'm hoping for a leave of absence from work in which case I can pay my premiums up front and keep my coverage. If I don't get a leave of absence I am going to take advantage of Cobra coverage that will continue your coverage for up to 6 months as long as you pay premiums. I think the premiums go up. I need to look into that and see exactly what is involved.

AW

[pitdog]

Has anyone ever heard of the term preexisting condition.

[Farr Away]

You might ask your parents to check if their policy could cover you anyway - even if you're not a student. I was surprised recently to find that both the insurance my company was switching from and the insurance it was switching to would cover my dependents through age 24. I had always thought that kids had to be full-time students to be covered after the age of 18, not so.

[soulrebel]

insurance is like wearing a raincoat. You don't want to but you know you should. Sometimes you do-sometimes you don't. We didn't have insurance on our hike, everything was ok so I stopped putting on my raincoat.

Got insurance when we got back, wife got pregnant and the difference in the bill is $1500 (plus $200 a month for the policy) versus $18,000. So in the end it was a good thing. But in our situation we could've qualified for medicaid and probably had the baby at a state run facility on tax money.

Ask your parents what they think--did they invest much time in you? Are you really worth it? lol If you get hit by a car and have head trauma that would be a situation so watch out in town.

IN the woods you'll be fine especially at 22. carry a dose of doxycycline for lyme and maybe some pepto bismol, antihistimines, superglue for wounds =-- aok!

wife says, "insurance is a racket"

hub -0yea i wish i owned an insurance company..hike all the time w/ medivac pizza delivery w/ no copay

[pitdog]

I agree but if the bill is 15000 for a child,who pays the difference.I was hurt on a logging job w ins..I was out of work 3 mths,without pay,and had to hire a lawyer to get the moneys months later.I am a thru hiker and when my foot was broken I was a little concerned.My AT feet are the foundation of my hiking,and they didnt care.They didnt care if I ate or was out in the woods or streets.There views of the world are highly selective.Hire a lawyer to check out your policy and it may save one money when needed.

[max patch]

You don't need insurance because you are "hiking the trail".

You need insurance, period.