What insurance do you use with a inreach

[cbat]

So you hit the SOS button in an emergency. What costs are you libel for ?
Aircraft - Ambulance ?
Are there insurance riders or separate policy's to protect you ?

 

[schlumpyj]

Virtually all rescues are covered by the tax payer. Some states I think have laws that say you are responsible for the chopper ride, but they usually don’t enforce it unless you pressed SOS for a bad reason (didn’t want to pack out your elk, etc).

All that is to say, you very likely won’t have to pay if it is a real emergency. There is a reason the insurance is so cheap, the insurance rarely has to pay out.

 

[eddielasvegas]

Garmin has webinars every couple months (I forgot how I signed up for these) on various topics around the Inreach. I'd sign up for those as you can ask the presenters (Garmin employees) most any question on topic.

I signed up (via my Garmin portal account) for additional coverage insurance as it is reasonable at $50/year and it might cover items that my employer based insurance does not. IIRC, the additional insurance offered by Garmin is through a third party company.

I will say, like most insurance companies, I fully expect to have to fight with them on coverage should I need their service, especially if it a large amount like a medivac, etc.

Good luck,

Eddie

 

[Dos Perros]

You should do a forum search, this topic has been covered in detail. But I'll try to summarize.

Most search and rescue operations are volunteer operations. You don't owe them anything for their services.

Many states include a sort of 'coverage' with the purchase of a fishing or hunting license.

It gets tricky with handoffs; what if search and rescue hands you off to an ambulance, or life flight? You could be liable for those charges if your health insurance doesn't cover it. It's probably a difficult topic to generally research because it'll be different depending on the location and situation.

 

[11boo]

Our life flight would be 20k for a very short hop, and that is who SAR would be handing me off to in a critical situation.

 

[Brooks]

Had a life flight out of the mountains 6 years ago. The flight alone was $64,000 the level 1Trauma center hospital was 130 air miles away. Private Insurance paid all but $3000 for the flight. Search and rescue didn’t cost anything. An ambulance was also sitting at the trailhead but didn’t get used, no cost. Then you have the hospital, surgery’s and the PT = $$$$$