[pct-l] Insurance while hiking

[patti kulesz]

yeh but the ER visit and any hospital stay can be either voided or made much less than it really is if you can prove no income and speak to a social worker at the hospital before you leave

patti

--- On Thu, 9/25/08, Gary Wright <gwtmp01 at mac.com> wrote:
From: Gary Wright <gwtmp01 at mac.com>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Insurance while hiking
To: jetcash at aol.com
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
Date: Thursday, September 25, 2008, 3:05 PM

On Sep 23, 2008, at 8:43 PM, jetcash at aol.com wrote:
> How have people handled health insurance while on the trail in the  
> past?? Since I won't be working or going to school I won't be  
> covered and I can't afford to extend my current coverage.

Talk to a local independent insurance agent and get a high-deductible  
plan.  Your concern shouldn't be for the $1500 emergency room visit  
but for a more complex major medical situation.  Emergency rooms have  
to treat you and you can always arrange to pay them in installments.   
You want the insurance for the much less likely but more expensive/ 
complex/serious situations.

I would also recommend visiting a clinic or regular doctor's office  
if at all possible if you become sick or injured on the trail.  It  
will be much cheaper than an ER visit.  Also consider seeing a sports  
medicine specialist for foot/leg injuries while hiking.  That worked  
much better for me when I had a stress fracture than my visit to the ER.

Radar
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