[at-l] The (insurance) weasles strike again

[icw39@ncfreedom.net (Clark Wright)]

well put [as he takes another sip!] - yep, it is the eternal dilemma
about coming home, or coming into a trail town, etc.  only other point I
would make about insurance companies, is the distinction I mentioned in
the other post about medical coverage, versus special event policies for
certain activities, versus standard homeowners insurance . . . I'm not
sure what the discussion is really about, since as I understand it,
nobody expects their homeowners to cover accidents on the Trail, and
most medical does cover medical costs associated with accidents on the
trail . . . the special trip insurance generally is for those wanting
some form of life insurance, and as to that, there are still a lot of
term insurance policies out there that would cover general hiking . . . 

Thru-Thinker

DaRedhead@aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 1/7/02 8:50:59 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
> icw39@ncfreedom.net writes:
> 
> > Given the interesting proclivity of us Americans to find fault in
> > others, it probably will not be long, however, before MacDoOnalds is
> > sued for billions of dollars in heart disease medical costs for the
> > "unlawful act" of making money serving greasy food - just watch and
> > see!  Ain't the civilized world grand?  :)
> >
> 
> Well.  Civilized world isn't too bad, given the alternatives.  :)  Those of
> us who choose to hike try to get away sometimes, sometimes for long periods
> of times - but ultimately we end up back here.  Sure, a lot of people choose
> to spend half of every year on the Trail - well, okay, not a lot, but many.
> A few even manage it MOST of the year, if not all.  I know one or two.  I
> think that is awesome.  But here isn't a bad place to be, given the
> alternatives in other countries, unless you are willing and able to live on
> the Trail (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) year round.
> 
> But I draw the line at suing anyone for my own idiocy or because I buy their
> product.  That includes McDonalds, Mrs. Smiths, car repair shops that rip me
> off just 'cause I don't know any better and I'm mechanically impaired,
> tobacco companies, guys out in the boonies making moonshine (and their
> counterparts in the corporate world), or the people serving it, or the makers
> of automobiles just because so many people get killed in them, or airline
> companies because occasionally people hijack their planes, or even gun
> manufacturers.  This is totally off topic (I know, Ryan, I know ;)) but - I'd
> like to think that people who value the Trail don't waste too much of their
> lives suing others for their own
> mistakes/addictions/vices/happenstance/fate/whatever.  I could be wrong.
> 
> The only thing I'm thinking is - if an insurance company has 100,000 thousand
> members (I'm talking a SMALL company) who pay monthly, and only 100 of them
> participate in "extreme sports" (whatever they decide the definition of
> extreme sports is, which is apparently up to them), how can they justify not
> paying for the 10 percent of those 100 people who actually get killed or
> injured, when they are paying out on the 10,000 or so folks who die because
> of a poor choice in lifestyle (i.e. way too big, way too sedentary, way too
> much cholesterol, way too much steak, smoking tobacco, way too much sex, way
> too much - whatever) OR the other large number of people they carry who also
> die from other stuff.  Heart attack?  Boating accident? Drop dead on the golf
> course? Spouse shoots them? Old age?
> 
> Let's face it.  A) Thru hiking on the AT is NOT an "extreme" sport in most
> senses of the phrase.  (that's not to say that other trails don't come closer
> to that)  And B) climbers or cavers or bungee jumpers or even long distance
> Trail hikers are NOT a majority in policy holders. (although the safety
> record for those sports will stand up to the safety record of eating too much
> and not getting enough exercise).
> 
> My thinking is - pass that bourbon, and lets all vow to never blame a company
> for what we do to ourselves ;) (not even Microsoft <g>) (as I listen to you
> fellow geeks out there gasp <vbg>)
> 
> > Thru-Thinker [thinking too much after a (most unhealthy?) bourbon and
> > coke tonight!]
> >
> 
> The Redhead (with no bourbon but locked up for a day with a 5 yr old snow
> crazy hiker chick with a book who wanted to see if we could identify the same
> trees in color in the book with the snow covered ones in the neighborhood <g>
> ). (No, we didn't do too well, but a few we got)
> 
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