Health insurance that covers racing accidents

[YZMAN400]

We were just informed recently that our health insurance thru work dosn't cover any kind of racing accident.

My racing days are pretty much behind me.

But my 9yr old son, Digger, just started racing MX last year and is loving it. We are gearing up for the new season with a new bike and all and then work drops this bomb on us.

There definition of racing is:

"any competitive event where you are competing for a trophy or cash prize is considered racing"

It dosn't even have to be motorized. Any racing.

Yea if he gets hurt and its not too serious I can always take him to the Hospital and tell them its a trail riding accident (that is covered) but what if its something really serious and the track ambulance has to take care of him/bring him to the hospital. Im gonna be seriously financialy screwed if it gets reported as a racing accident. I hate to think this way but what if, god forbid, he gets involved in something that is going to be a lifelong injury. That could financialy wreck someone.

What are others using for there insurance. Is there a good insurance provider out there that dosn't cost an arm and a leg. What I would like to do is find something that I can buy for just say 6 months outta the year. Just when he is racing. I heard someone mention the AMA??

I hate to do this to him but I am seriousely thinking of pulling the plug on his racing. He is going to be heartbroken if I do, but what other choice do I have. I dont know how much private health care insurance is but it cant be cheep. I aint gonna be spending $50-100+ a month for his insurance. His racing is expensive enough without having to add insurance into the picture.

Then there is the fact that he does nothing around the house (chores) without a major battle (like most kids). I feel that if he really wants to race he needs to cowboy-up with the chores and start showing me that this is something that he is really serious about. Otherwise I aint gonna be putting out the $ for him to race.

Suggestions

 

[KTM Mike]

Don - that sure sucks, but is not uncommon at all. I have BCBS, so am OK (I think), but the cost is higher as a result. You must have coverage through one of the "private" carriers. Ironically, these policies that wont cover a racing injury will cover smokers, obese people with poor eating habits and no exercise etc. etc. but wont cover a racing injury! Makes a ton of sense doesnt it! And, in some ways, is racing really more risky than agressive trail riding? Not in my opinion - lets see.... Racing: all like size bikes, like ages and skill levels etc., all heading the same direction, all riding at the top of their respective games. corner workers, ambulance on site and at the ready, sweep riders etc etc. Trail riding: Mixed bag of bikes - a big 450 with at little 90, two way traffic, no one flagging danger spots, go fast racer types out there at same time as slow poke trail riders or little kids. No ambulance at the ready, no corner workers no sweep riders... Yep...makes tons of sense to me!

But - do give a glance at some private insurance - maybe a high deductible crash and burn policy would not be as costly as you think BUT...watch for the same exclusion. I know that the AFLAC products are real popular (expensive coverage in my book though) , but they have a racing exclusion as well.

As to pulling the racing as "punishiment" for not doing chores - tough one there. Ends up punishing the Dad as well doesnt it! Assuming the insurance issue is set aside, what about him earning "Racing points" via chores - when he has earned enough points, he can race. Set XX # of points needed per race, X points earned per chore. A positive reinforcement. He misbehaves, points come out of the "bank". Write it all up as an agreement between the two of your and keep track of it Kinda like a bank account?.

Mike (fortunately well insured)

 

[YZMAN400]

Ironically, these policies that wont cover a racing injury will cover smokers, obese people with poor eating habits and no exercise etc. etc. but wont cover a racing injury! Makes a ton of sense doesnt it!

That is soo true. I would say as a general rule that racers are in better shape than the vast majority of the population. You have to be to race. I would hazard a guess to say that racers overall spend less time at the docs than the normal folk. I know I do. I cant tell you the last time I have been to a doc. While my non excersizing wife (hate to use her as an example but...) is frequently in the docs office.

We do have AFLAC avaliable here at work. But I have never been real fond of it. It just seems too gimiky for me.

I am gonna call the insurance company direct and get it from the horses mouth vs from out personal directors mouth. Maybe something is getting messed up in the translation. Lets hope.

As to pulling the racing as "punishiment" for not doing chores - tough one there. Ends up punishing the Dad as well doesnt it!

You got that right. Even with me not racing its still a blast to be out there helping him thru the day, watching him improve. I dont know who is more excited when he does good in a race, him or me. To loose that father son bonding time will be a tough one for sure. Yes we still have trail riding and even practice days at the track. But its not the same as wheel to wheel compitition. If it has to go though it has to go, time will tell. We will always find other things to keep us entertained / together. But it would still suck loosing racing.

 

[2TrakR]

Don - get on one of the mini boards and ask around. KTMTalk is very active on the 50s (not always a good thing, but anyway). I'm sure you are not the first parent with this issue and somebody else must have some experience/suggestions.

Oh, and as for his "like all kids" laziness - I say beat 'em. Out behind the woodshed stuff, old school. Worked for you didn't it?
(just kidding)

 

[TCTrailrider]

Don,
I discussed this issue with our benefits people. They have not seen this exclusion from the carriers we represent. They suspect your company may be self insuring. There should be a way to pay additional and buy the coverage back.

 

[woodsy]

I am sure that oneof the reasons that "Track Incidents" are under scrutiny is because they are easily Auditable..
Don, I think Mike is onto the trick of getting your son on the right "track" (punny intendo').. I always found with my kids that you take something they really enjoy and use it in "postitive reinforcement' and it works GREAT!!
As far as beating that rascal.. I dont know, he has pretty good size paws and he is old enough that he may not forget you in the long run!! I can see it now, YZMAN laying in a ol' folks home with O'2 mask on and cant move from the arms down.. Son walks in room and says, by the way Dad - remeber when.. and starts to tickle the bottom of your feet.. I think I would rethink that one.....
Woodsy :ride:

 

[Godzuki]

yea i used to work at a place that had that same similar coverage, only they wernt just racing, any kind of motorized vehical accident they did not cover. so i crashed my mountain bike a few times during the years i was road racing hehe, man was it a tumble down that hill. i had to get the health insurance through my auto insurance to cover any motor vehical accident. if you have decent insurance though thank your company, all i have seen lately is benfit cuts and deep ones at that. i had one coworker that found out, when he had to go fill a prescription that if he paid cash he got more of it for less money out of his pocket, now hows that for insurance hehe. im just happy my wife has great insurance at where she works.

as for the insentive thing yea that one works out great for school work. i wanted a dirt bike bad when i was 11, my parents said well if you get straight A's next semester we will buy you one(ofcourse they didnt think i could do it right). well at the end of that semester i had my first dirt bike, a 79 honda xl 100 shiny as showroom condition. it was then they gave me the fine print of that agreement, yea i had to keep at least a B average from then on if i wanted to keep riding the dirt bike, no B's the bike gets locked up until i brought the grades up. yea sneaky parents, it worked because i was addicted to bikes at that point try that way of doing it maybe. no chores and good grades no racing. hey rudy does that with his kid jimmy come to think of it, his kids grades dropped and rudy went up north riding with us to i think it was horshoe lake you where there don, he said little jimmy wasnt happy about not getting to go hehe.

 

[BadgerMan]

so i crashed my mountain bike a few times

:laugh: ;)

 

[bbarel]

You should just sit home watch TV, smoke, drink beer, eat MickeyDs an you'll be covered.

 

[Godzuki]

and move under some i tension power lines to.

 

[70 marlin]

Three out of four. You missed a few bad habits. Don't forget farting

 

[INCA]

Don - A while back, maybe the last five years, the AMA was involved with coverage denial because of riding a motorcycle. I have reason to believe it involved the Teamsters, and the AMA got them to back off. It ends up in the discrimination area.

Young Ted

 

[YZMAN400]

I am not sure if this is coverage denial on the part of our insurance provider or a voluntary cutback of benifits on our company's part in an effort to keep our healthcare costs managable.

 

[Orangewoods]

I had a bad crash a year ago September I torn the MCL,LCL. and had to have a new PCL and a new ACL put in. and my insurance company paid it all. They even coverd 2 Cti's knee braces. I was trail riding in T.C loops by myself .( dumb I know). Well this year at Jack Pine a freak thing happend with my oil fill plug and hot oil blew on to my leg 3rd degree off course. The lady at the clinic wrote it up as a race. My only chance here is some how tryng to prove that an enduro is not really a race it's just a timed trail ride. I not having much luck. My company that I work for has raised my coverge to 66$ a week now. I guess Im still ahead right....

 

[INCA]

Orangewoods - The AMA rules for Enduros state that it is not a race. I'd present a copy of that paragraph. In the future, for any medical attention as a result of riding a bike, the injury happened while hunting mushrooms. It saves a lot of hassels. There is no law saying where or when you can do such hunting.

Young Ted

 

[YZMAN400]

I just bumped into one of the mothers from the track where Digger races. She said that her insurance is the same as mine concerning racing. They just dance around it. She said that most people at the track are in the same boat as me and just dance around it by claiming that its a trail riding accident or something like that. Decisions decisions....

 

[ws6transam]

I just bumped into one of the mothers from the track where Digger races. She said that her insurance is the same as mine concerning racing. They just dance around it. She said that most people at the track are in the same boat as me and just dance around it by claiming that its a trail riding accident or something like that. Decisions decisions....

...in other words, LIE.

Just like us folk who take our street cars to an autocross or occasional drag race. We LIE to the insurance company when we state that no, we dont ever, ever race our cars. It's like this big game of Dont ask, Dont tell.

I can't stand the hypocrisy but dont see much way around it, either. Back in '94 I tore out my ACL while popping wheelies on a dirt bike in the back yard. When I went into the sports clinic to get the ACL repaired, the nurse asked me how it happened.

I said "Popping wheelies in the back yard on a dirt bike."

She said: "You crashed your mountain bike in the back yard??"

I said "Yeah, that's what happened!"

 

[salgeek]

The AMA offers an Accident Medical Plan called ARMOR. I don't know anything about it beyond a flyer I picked up at an enduro this year.

Here is where the flyer says to get info from:
www.insurance4ama.com
800-556-7614


Scott

 

[Godzuki]

She said: "You crashed your mountain bike in the back yard??"


hehehe now where have i heard that line before.