[pct-l] Insurance

[Anne Estoppey]

Hello Kathryn

I also had to figure out for health insurance. As I am on unpaid leave from my work, they still cover 3 months after I am leaving. Then I had to buy a complementary insurance for the rest of my trip. So I saved quite a bit of money here. I forgot to mention that I am under a Norwegian contract, and that now I am registered back in Norway as a resident. So the insurance is also Norwegian.

This said, I read in the contract that some things might not be covered. Like accidents happening above 4000meters (12000 feet). And I think it could be a problem if something happens to me while hiking in dodgy weather (thunderstorm, snow storm, whatever storm), or if I fall from a cliff while I go pee in the middle of the night. I think my insurance would tolerate the regular incident WHILE on the trail, at a reasonable altitude, like twisting an ankle, breaking a bone or stuff like that. They also cover if I get malaria or some strange disease and have to be brought back to Norway... I think that in case of a visit to the doctor, one usually has to pay from her/his pocket and keep the invoice. Once you are back in your country, you can ask for refund (usually there is always a bit which is non refundable).


I think that insurance for 'extreme sports or activities' without being in a sports club (like sky-diving or scuba-diving association or similar) would be totally over expensive, and might not even be possible in Norway (practicing an extreme sport on your own is per definition too dangerous for being somehow covered).


I also have an insurance that I signed for with my SPOT subscription (I think it includes SAR). But again, by reading the contract, a lot of stuff seems uncovered, and quite a lot of this stuff could apply to hiking in the High Sierras for instance...


So I will not be 100% covered, but I think it is hard to find an insurance that actually does cover all in every situation...


Cheerios from Norway :-)

Anne




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Message: 7
Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2012 02:41:05 -0800 (PST)
From: Kathryn Thompson <katzenjammer12 at yahoo.ca>
Subject: [pct-l] Insurance
To: "Pct-L at backcountry.net" <Pct-L at backcountry.net>
Message-ID:
    <1354099265.73905.YahooMailNeo at web161505.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Just wondering about one of the less-glamorous considerations for a thru-hike....

Health insurance

Do most hikers have it or not?? If yes, to what extent (i.e. emergencies only, or complete coverage)

Anyone care to share experiences and cost$ of visiting a doctor in a trail town (overuse injuries, giardia, the flu, etc etc, anything goes)

I live overseas, and am not sure where to begin with this.? Some travel insurance plans seem to be good value for emergency medical situations, but they're limited or nonexistent in non-emergency situations, and in any case I'm not sure if they cover "extreme sports" such as hiking :-)? 


Buying a full-coverage plan would bring peace of mind, but might also break the bank...?

I've got some research to do on my end, but would appreciate any input in the meantime.

Cheers from NZ

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