Insurance?

[butcher bergs]

*yells at Pete from the nosebleed section*

YOU SUCK AT EXITING THE STAGE!!

[OreoGaborio]

my account got hacked, gimme a break.

[Krazy Again]

I just got through reading the entire thread. Holy Shit! Brian, seriously? You race, with a wife AND kids at home, with no health insurance?! I have to think there must be an independent bank account somewhere with several million dollars in it that makes you feel safe and secure thinking that your family will be fine if you have a catastrophic injury or illness.

You were saying about cost being the factor keeping you from having insurance, but never expressed that you have a family. You said that if you ever did get hurt bad you would just be like "whatever" and get the best care you needed and pay for it in time. You realize that your family would have to pay for that too right? If you were injured to such an extent you couldn't work, what then? If you die after accumulating large medical bills, you realize that your family is responsible for those bills right?

I don't race, and never plan on it. At 37 I am just too old. I just started doing track days, and will continue to. But racing is not in the cards for me with a wife, son, and another son on the way. But I also know that if something happens to me at the track my medical stuff is taken care of. If it came to it, the track days go, and so do the bikes, if it came to a choice between them and my family's well being.

[Lxpony]

I am on the opposite side of the spectrum.... I have health insurance and full coverage on my bikes including the GSXR I run at the track. I also have "medpay" coverage up to 5k which would pay for things that health insurance wont (co-pays, physical therapy, prescription drugs, etc). If I were to get into an accident be it on the street or the track, I wouldn't be out of pocket anything. I would also get my bike's damages covered to.

Guess what I do for work???? I work for an insurance company so I know what I am talking about.

[tropicoz]

I am on the opposite side of the spectrum.... I have health insurance and full coverage on my bikes including the GSXR I run at the track. I also have "medpay" coverage up to 5k which would pay for things that health insurance wont (co-pays, physical therapy, prescription drugs, etc). If I were to get into an accident be it on the street or the track, I wouldn't be out of pocket anything. I would also get my bike's damages covered to.

Guess what I do for work???? I work for an insurance company so I know what I am talking about.

We ended up getting supplemental as well which will basically cover our deductible and leave some extra in many cases. It's a boat load of cash to part with, but I gotta tell ya, I have a wierd sense of peace now.

[brady]

I don't race, and never plan on it. At 37 I am just too old.

[mzdagrl]

My thought too.....Plenty of people start once they are financially secure. 40, 45, 50.....

[BrianC]

Now this is the type of thread I needed over this long boring winter! Let me just say that I see how people might think it is crazy/irresponsible/stupid, etc... to race w/no insurance. The idea that I just decided to say fuck insurance and go racing isn't really the right perception. Like I said, my wife and I both had insurance when my kids were born and when they were infants and really needed it. There really was no choice for me but to leave my old job so I could make more money. My wife and I made the decision that having her at home with the kids was better for them than sending them to daycare... It is a decision I am proud of, and I am happy that I have been able to support my family the way that I have so that my kids didn't grow up in a daycare. The consequence of working for highway construction companies, is that we don't get benefits, and we are laid off over the winter. Even if I found reasonable health coverage, it would be damn hard to pay for it while I was laid off... My wife and I both agreed that we didn't really need it and would rather have the extra cash. My wife used to work for a Dentist, so he takes care of us when we go, and I just pay for it. If someone really needs to go to the hospital, which has happened, I pay for it. For me to come up w/a couple grand for a medical bill is just easier than living week to week with an inadequate paycheck just so I can have some sense of false security. The reality is that serious injury is rare. I raced every weekend last season and would have never used health insurance if I had been paying for it. That being said, this is not a permanent situation as my kids are older now, and as soon as the youngest goes to school, my wife will be working again and will be able to get coverage thru her work. It was a sacrafice we made so that our kids could be raised at home, and it worked. I'm extremely happy that we were able to do that. As far as racing goes, I just don't see it being any different than any other "dangerous" activity I partake in. For a majority of my life I have not carried insurance, and have ridden dirtbikes in the woods, motorcycles on the streets, and worked in construction. Never have I been so seriously injured that it required medical attention. So... I don't think it is the best way to go racing, but I'm certainly no more afraid of racing a motorcycle than I am going to work everyday or hitting some ramps on my bmx bike. I like to live my life and take advantage of the fact that I'm not too old yet. It's not irresponsible or lack of common sense... common sense tells me that paying thousands of dollars each month for something we'll never use is irresponsible and a waste of money. Like I said before, people are different and their perception of risk is different. That, and our life circumstances are all different. The reason I added to this thread was only to let Tropicoz know that you can race w/out insurance because I had the same questions when I started. It can and has been done w/out catastrophe. I'd be interested in finding out how many racers of old raced w/out health insurance back when bikes and gear were less safe. Dudes w/open face helmets riding on bricks for tires... I'm sure there have been a few. We do it because we love the bikes, and we love the sport. Fear of what may happen is the ultimate enemy in racing.

No. It's just us, Responsibility and Common Fucking Sense.

I just got through reading the entire thread. Holy Shit! Brian, seriously? You race, with a wife AND kids at home, with no health insurance?! I have to think there must be an independent bank account somewhere with several million dollars in it that makes you feel safe and secure thinking that your family will be fine if you have a catastrophic injury or illness.

You were saying about cost being the factor keeping you from having insurance, but never expressed that you have a family. You said that if you ever did get hurt bad you would just be like "whatever" and get the best care you needed and pay for it in time. You realize that your family would have to pay for that too right? If you were injured to such an extent you couldn't work, what then? If you die after accumulating large medical bills, you realize that your family is responsible for those bills right?

I don't race, and never plan on it. At 37 I am just too old. I just started doing track days, and will continue to. But racing is not in the cards for me with a wife, son, and another son on the way. But I also know that if something happens to me at the track my medical stuff is taken care of. If it came to it, the track days go, and so do the bikes, if it came to a choice between them and my family's well being.

[McBiggity]

Just because you have been lucky so far does not mean you are invincible. Which seems to be the way you think. Good luck