A horrifying image shows the injuries of a hiker who walked 10 miles with a trekking pole through his body instead of paying for a helicopter evacuation.
I don’t think this one fits the comm. Yes, the American health system is dystopian, but for mountain rescues and other ‘extreme sports’ this is the standard all around the world.
There are special insurances, some times through clubs or federations too, but if you go without them or out of what they cover you’re on your own. Break an ankle and you’ll gonna pay very handsomely—the vehicles, installations, equipment, training, personnel… don’t come cheap. And I think it is absolutely fair that, if you cause all these expenses and these people risking their lives because you wanted to play adventurer, you foot the bill.
In Italy helicopter ride is free if you need to go to the hospital after the fact, and around 1000$-2000$ if there is no medical justification for the call. In the US you risk financial ruin with medical justification.
…but for mountain rescues and other ‘extreme sports’ this is the standard all around the world.
Is it? The search and rescue teams here in BC, Canada choose not to charge for rescues specifically to prevent the person from having to make the choice this guy did.
BCSARA believes that the belief that a lost or injured person or their loved ones will be charged for a search and rescue response could directly affect the decision as to whether or when a call for professional help will be made.
In the UK the mountain rescue air ambulance is free to use. As far as I understand it, that the pilots are actually RAF pilots assigned to the rescue teams as part of their training. Putting them in the rescue helicopters kills two birds with one stone. Many rescuers are volunteers, and the service is funded via tax and public donations.
https://www.guidedolomiti.com/en/dolomites-mountain-rescue/ there are places that have better terms. I even thought our hiking group got some alp-hikers club membership for heli coverage, but it looks like you don’t need that and it’s a courtesy thing so you ’ pay in’ this rescue pool. Good thing those horses were only charging us for sport and we didn’t even need any heli’s :)
I don’t think this one fits the comm. Yes, the American health system is dystopian, but for mountain rescues and other ‘extreme sports’ this is the standard all around the world.
There are special insurances, some times through clubs or federations too, but if you go without them or out of what they cover you’re on your own. Break an ankle and you’ll gonna pay very handsomely—the vehicles, installations, equipment, training, personnel… don’t come cheap. And I think it is absolutely fair that, if you cause all these expenses and these people risking their lives because you wanted to play adventurer, you foot the bill.
In Italy helicopter ride is free if you need to go to the hospital after the fact, and around 1000$-2000$ if there is no medical justification for the call. In the US you risk financial ruin with medical justification.
Quanto siamo fortunati a vivere qui e non ce ne accorgiamo
Is it? The search and rescue teams here in BC, Canada choose not to charge for rescues specifically to prevent the person from having to make the choice this guy did.
https://bcsara.com/no-charge-for-sar/
In the UK the mountain rescue air ambulance is free to use. As far as I understand it, that the pilots are actually RAF pilots assigned to the rescue teams as part of their training. Putting them in the rescue helicopters kills two birds with one stone. Many rescuers are volunteers, and the service is funded via tax and public donations.
https://www.guidedolomiti.com/en/dolomites-mountain-rescue/ there are places that have better terms. I even thought our hiking group got some alp-hikers club membership for heli coverage, but it looks like you don’t need that and it’s a courtesy thing so you ’ pay in’ this rescue pool. Good thing those horses were only charging us for sport and we didn’t even need any heli’s :)