Today's wake poll

Anyone surprised by the percentage of people with no health insurance? Aside from wakeboarding, seems risky to me to have no insurance. I'm curious to know how many of the people with no insurance are advanced level riders or participate in other sports.

Tim

i rode on the wake and the snow for about 3 summers/winters with no insurance....good thing i only had to visit the ER once from a fight i got into with a flat to down box on the snow...

I have no health insurance. Besides wakeboarding I play ice hockey and consistently train for Ironman length triathlons. Why no insurance? Because i'm self employed and cant afford it on top of everthing else. Its very irresponsible though and something I need to figure out.

Im suprised so many people have insurance. 88% seems pretty high to me.

Hijack Dang coop.....how much weight do you have in the boat that's in your profile pic. Watch out for big roller's. By the way that's a sweet looking pic.
Hijack over

Jeff, You think you can't afford health insurance. just wait until you get a simple broken bone, or something much worse.

If you ever end up leaving the hockey arena in an ambulance, you'll be very unhappy with the bill you receive.

Health Ins. isn't cheap, but having been through 2 knee surgeries totaling a little south of $30K, I'd be so far behind I wouldn't know where to begin.

ive been riding 5 years without health insurance....finally caught up with me this summer when i feel on a method bs 3 on a double up and ripped cartlidge in my knee and had to get surgury....ill be gettin insurance b4 next summer for sure

i'm covered under my parents plan, but it's •••••••• didn't even cover my fractured ankle

Damn, it doesn't get any more asinine than owning a boat and not health insurance. At least get major medical coverage. I love it, you have your own boat, health insurance is to expensive, but when your dumb ass gets hurt and can't work for several months it will be up to the public to care for your butts...

That's what's wrong in America, people just don't use their head anymore or just don't give a hoot about being a burden to the public system! Everyone that has a boat but no major medical insurance coverage on this forum deserves to get their butts kicked!

I dont have a boat for the recoed BOCEPHUS. They're ridiculously priced, and I sold my used boat to help buy my house. AS far as being a burden to the public system ,my taxes help pay for the millions of illegals that cross our borders daily and get free education and health care. Lower my taxes or provide me with health care as well. I'm a citizen for Gods sake!

Oh and dont be such an under educated hater....

BTW

It's not as much as a lot of people think. There's an attitude that if you're employer doesn't provide it, you're not going to get it (usually b/c of the price). Few people actually check into it. If you haven't, I'd do it. If you live in TN, I'd be glad to do it for you or show you how. It's dumb for anyone to not have health insurance. Looking at the risk (see examples above) and price it makes sense even for boring people to get an indivdual policy- and this thread is wakeboarders and people who participate in other action sports! You're more likely to use health insurance than the average American. If nothing else, get something classified as major medical with as high of a deductible as you can comfortably handle. That will be the cheapest way to cover stuff that will ruin you financially.

My comment wasn't direct towards you then Jeff!

when I had a job for an employer that didn't provide health insurance and I was 23 I think it was about 120/mo for health insurance. not too bad really.

Do you know if you go thru a period of non insurance its very difficult to get insureed again? It also becomes the period where every claim becomes a "pre-existing condition" so they end up not covering you anyways even if you're currently covered? Its a broken health care system. About the only way for me to get insureed again is to go to work for a company that offers health insurance because under those conditions you cannot be denied under federal law-

health insurance is one of the reasons i got into the union, and the fact that i cant do anything else.with 2 kids i didnt have much of a choice anymore, kids will kill the pocket.

I'm 50 years old, self employed with a family of 4. Insurance cost $1150/ month with $1500/person deductible. Last year we had over $20,000 in medical expenses and insurance. With 15% self-employment (FICA) tax, and 28% income tax rate taxes an even bigger expense on small business.

If everyone had to write the checks for those items instead of payroll deduction there would be a huge demand for stopping the entitlement programs and change in government policy.

6 bucks a week pretty heavily subsidised by work though... Used to be a dollar a week but the plan changed. Still, can't complain really. Keeps me off the public waiting lists when stuff needs doing.

i live in canada...so i guess i do have it haha.

In NZ the government will even pay you 80% of your weekly wage if you're off work hurt (or sometimes if you're only pretending, damn freeloaders) Only thing is they don't tell you that til about 9 months after you were eligible to get it.

Shop for a good employer that pays all (or at least most) of your insurance and negotiate your benefits...or work for a union. But I agree....if you can't afford medical insurance you have no business owning a boat....that is irresponsible to you, your family, and your community/state.

My mom has a saying: you can sell your underwear but you never stop paying for your health insurance. I dont know if it will mean exactly the same in english as it does in spanish, but i think it gets the point across. I live in a 3rd world country where not all companies offer good insurance and people still pay for it. It is an expense, and yeah, you'll most likely (and hopefully) wont need to use it every year you pay for it. But when you do, you'll be glad. I've had lots of different cases of people that have suffered a medical condition and didnt have insurance.... the medical bills will literally drain your pocket. Im talking about families that have been well off financially, living in nice neighborhoods with good cars, their children in nice private schools, and then one strong disease, like cancer, or complications during birth, have almost left them out in the streets. Friends have had to help with money, raffles have been made and everything. And all because of "saving" the money from health insurance.

I still dont pay for my own insurance, Im covered under my parents'. I'm self employed, and when I move out of the house, I will def look into one that will keep me covered. No one can afford to not have health insurance. It will cost way too much.

I know Pro Riders without health insurance!

One accident with out insurance can put break you for a long time.And if you wait until you have a condition like high blood preasure or something to get insurance it will be considered a pre existing conditionn,and you may not get any coverage.It's worth having.

My Wife pay's for insurance thru her work 980.00 a month for a family of 4, a good PPO. I complained all the time, Then my son blew out his ACL two years ago, and I got sick 9 mos ago spent over 80 days in three differnt hospitals in that time, bills totaling way over 800,000, The last hospital I was in Mayo Clinic are ins would only pay 40% because it's out of network and I'm left with 49,322.00 I owe them. I'm just glad they payed everyone else..other wise We would be homeless,,,,,And I'm still not better. I hope it doesnt happen to anyone else with or with out ins. Could'nt imagine with out!

I would probably stop ridin' if I didn't have health insurance I mean hell look at what happened with Colby if he wouldn't have had so may good people donating money to him and his family for all the bills they would be in bad shape

I must say coop's boat sits very low in the water.

My insurance lapsed for 2 weeks once and I broke my arm and leg and in cost me 60k+. That sucked!

Travis, that is nuts.

I would think that the PWT would offer some kind of insurance program. I mean it is nuts to think that a pro sport, especially one that is extreme, is not willing to shell out the bucks to protect the real draw of its source of income: the riders.

"I must say coop's boat sits very low in the water."

ya got that right! Where's the duck when you need it...

seriously tho, i'm losing an employee b/c I can't afford to cover her and her family. single mom, 2 kids.

"I know Pro Riders without health insurance!"

I dont know if Dallas' family is well off, but imagine the cost's she would have had, if she was not insured. that was one scary and lengthy hospital visit. (heck, maybe she was not insured)

I agree. owning a boat, and not having health insurance is irresponsible.

For most of you young males, health insurance isn't that expensive and you should check into it. The somewhat amazing thing is that there are not any differences in premiums for participants of extreme sports vs. everyone else so in some ways your premiums are a bargain that are being subsidized by the mall going masses who have more average health risks.

I'm an insurance agent and see all kinds of people without insurance that need it. I have a major medical policy that also offers Dr's visits ($30 per) as well as Emergency room visits ($100 per). The E Room is good, cuz I tend to find myself there relatively frequently. All told, I pay about $85/month. Worth it!

I had a special experience that taught me the importance early on. My step-dad had a partially severed aorta and subsequent open heart surgery and week long stay in ICU. He is a wealthy man and could have afforded to pay out of pocket, but who really wants to pay over $600k in bills?