[pct-l] health/travel insurance while hiking

[terry.norton at gmail.com (Terry Norton)]

Aaron,

I look forward to meeting your wife & you on the PCT next year! 
Although I have not thruhiked the PCT yet, I have done two AT
thruhikes and handled insurance for both.

First, I recommend seeking out a local independent insurance agent who
knows the health insurance market in your state.  He can help you
analyze the premium verses deductable trade-off.  He will also know
details about the coverage which is usually not available on websites.
 (e.g., limits on flight-for-life coverage.)   Ask self-employed
friends for recommendations.

In 1998 I carried a basic policy with a $2,500 deductable, 100%
coinsurance, and physical therapy coverage.  It didn't have
prescription drug coverage.  (Trauma care typically uses relatively
cheap drugs such as morphine.)  I had minor knee surgery in 1996, and
the policy had a rider excluding the first $5,000 of any problems with
that knee.  The policy was renewable, and the premium was about $90 /
month.

In 2001 I also carried a basic policy similar to the previous one,
except I increased the deductable to $5,000 since I had the reserves
to cover the cost.  The insurance company did not exclude my knee. 
This policy had a PPO network that covered most of the AT corridor,
but it would cover non-PPO doctor visits at the same rate if there was
not a participating doc within 25 miles.  The premium on this policy
was also about $90.

For next year I am investigating the high deductable policies with a
HSA (healthcare savings account) since I plan to be either
self-employed or self-unemployed for a few years.  My agent has priced
a few policies that fall in the range of $120 - $150 / month (now that
I am over 40!) with a $2,500 deductable and good PPO coverage along
the west coast.  Going to a $5,000 deductable drops the premium by
about $20, and I will probably not assume the additional risk of the
higher deductable for the long term.

The only time I tend to visit a doc is when I have a sport injury.  I
also don't have any on-going health issues.  (Single male, born in
1963)

Finally, be aware some policies exclude "mountain climbing."  A
potential insurer defined this so broad as to cover almost anything
related to hiking and backpacking.

cheers,
terry