Insured Sponsorship - Make Sure You Are Covered
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During practice for the 2013 Red Bull Rampage, Mark Matthews hit Gee Atherton's epic gap from the previous year. He had a shady run-in and a bit of wind knocked him straight into the rock ledge with fairly devastating consequences. Mark compound fractured his femur, breaking it in two places just below his hip. Transported to the hospital in Salt Lake City, Mark underwent surgery - and that was when the real battle began for him.
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 Mark Matthews busted off more rock than any pick axe during his crash. He went down hard and broke his femur. He was transported to the hospital Salt Lake for surgery. |
Before leaving for Rampage, Mark had purchased travel medical insurance for his trip. It was after amassing close to $40,000 in medical bills that he found out his insurance would not cover him. Over the last three years, and with the support of his sponsors and community, Mark has held fundraisers in order to raise the money to pay off his debt. Knolly, iXS, Smith Optics, Chromag, SR Suntour, Dissent Labs, Spank, Camelbak, and others all stepped up to help out and now Mark can add a new sponsor to his list; Northman Insurance.
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| Mark suffered a brutal compound fracture to his femur. |
 | I feel very grateful to have partnered with Northman. They are such a unique company and their support gives me the piece of mind that I will never run into medical debt again. That takes a huge weight off my shoulders. - Mark Matthews |
Northman Insurance provides insurance for extreme sports and adventure sports; international travel coverage, life insurance, income replacement, and custom solutions built to fit their clients' needs. Isaac Allen, the President of Northman Insurance, says, "we are looking to reach adventure sport athletes and eliminate gaps in current insurance offerings." It was his wife who discovered Mark's story and identified him as the perfect example of their target market, "[he is] a dude just living for the sport and riding hard." Mark's experience with discovering he wasn't covered by his insurance after a massive injury is exactly the type of situation that Isaac is hoping to negate with his company. But aside from his story, Isaac says of Mark, "he is a totally rad soul who is super humble and hard working, a perfect fit for Northman. We sponsored Mark so that he could have one less thing to worry about and he could get out and ride."
It is quite uncommon for an insurance company to sponsor an athlete as they are rarely interested in a single client, but Isaac's approach is unique in the fact that he wants to spend time with his clients and learn from them. He feels that using individual experiences and needs will help Northman to build a better coverage program. He is focused on building a program for each client as opposed to trying to fit the client's needs into existing, and somewhat restrictive, policies.
When selecting coverage for competing in out-of-country mountain bike events there are some bold exclusions like, 'no pro athletes' or 'no mountain biking downhill', but the ones that are hidden away can cause the most problems. Isaac advises that rider's always read the fine print on their policies and to ask the carrier to send an email confirmation that the coverage is exactly what you need it for; have them state that the specific contest or exact mountain you are heading to ride is covered. It is important to be as specific as possible when describing the coverage you need and to make sure that you get everything in writing.
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Many companies won't insure professional athletes in sports like mountain biking, especially not for competitions where cash prizes are involved, but that is exactly why Northman Insurance now exists. "No one is offering a good solution, so we decided we would," says Isaac. It hasn't been easy, it's a very complex system and has taken the company two years in underwriting to build the right kind of coverage, but it has been worth it from Isaac's point of view; "we love mountain biking and the athletes in the sport. We want to not only solve the insurance needs but really help get the sport sorted when it comes to risk management."
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An Update from Mark:
"The online fundraiser I launched earlier this year made me $5000 USD. I used that money to pay off ambulance bills and physiotherapy expenses, but I still have a long way to go before that gigantic surgery bill disappears. I am still accepting donations to my PayPal account: markandrewmatthews@gmail.com. Financial burdens aside, I am feeling 100% on the bike again and am back to progressing my riding. I would rather see any donations go to someone who needs them more than me. Paul Basagoitia is a legend who needs our support right now, we are all one big mountain bike family, send something his way."
Donate to Paul here.
MENTIONS: @mmatthews / @dbaker
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Second, I still think the finger needs to be pointed more at these riders individual sponsors than redbull. Redbull simply invites riders. This idea that riders are risking their lives for Redbull is ridiculous. No one is doing this for the benefit of a company that's not paying them. I agree that riders should be fairly compensated and provided adequate insurance but it's the riders individual sponsors that they are riding for and representing out there, and who gains the most from what they do. It's these companies that want thier riders getting the exposure Rampage provides. Many of the top competitors like Zink, Aggy, and Sorge etc are even out there wearing the logos of Redbull's main competition. If there is any corporate sponsor pressure on these guys it's going to come from thier own individual sponsors not Redbull. It's these companies with direct financial investment in these guys. It's these companies that people should be looking too. They are the ones who should be providing the travel money, insurance etc.
Most third world countries have some sort of national health care in place.
So there are probably more companies offering this kind of insurance. I recall there used to be an add in the older Dirt (UK) magazines. But it will be a very specific insurance, not just your regular health or travel insurance. In my case though, the actual hospital bits will usually be covered. But that doesn't get you the kind of intensive treatment the pros receive to get back in form to be allowed to ride DH in a week or two after you broke a collarbone. Fair, but it would have been nice isn't it
You buy their crap and blame the poor, sad.
No one making less than @$40k can afford obamacare. Huge disaster, and united health is getting out. I used to have insane coverage for really cheap all throughout my 20s&30s now we've completely gone backwards.
The lower income earners can't afford it, there future wages get back taxed for not signing up. Disaster.
And all this cost bullshit is overplayed... if you have an actual career in the US, you have insurance. It's only yet people making careers out of delivering pizza and doing shit jobs or working part time thanks to Obama's terrific "economic recovery" efforts who get screwed. I've had nearly $30k worth of knee surgeries, at a $100 out of pocket cost to me.
55% taxes go to healthcare and much less goes to oil, which we get from North Sea in large amounts and we do not need to support a fleet of Nuclear Carriers that ensures extraction of Middle East oil. Our banks also do not have much to do with Saudis. Virtual oil coming to us inside of imported goods, including food comes to us thanks to US. We enjoy someone doing the dirty job for us. Everyone here enjoys the social benefits to the highest degree also the rich. One of the top Swedish entrepreneurs, owner of a large construction company that my office often works for, goes to the same public clinic as me and my family do. Swedish students and tutors of medicine and pharmaceutics at local Sahlgrenska University hospital are very well aware of high standards of US Health Care system
because incoming students from US tend to view themselves as Gods overshadowing egotism and smartarsness of the Dutch and that is impressive if you ask me.
PS - The medical spending is the leading cause of bankruptcy claim has been repeatedly debunked, with actual figures shown to be closer to around 17% of bankruptcy cases rather than the oft cited 62% figure. The misleading factor is that, among the respondents covered in the 62% figure, over 70% of them were actually insured... and their medical expenses were insignificant compared to other expenses, representing only the proverbial straw which broke the overextended camels back. The leading cause of bankruptcy in the US is actually poor debt management and excess spending, primarily related to real estate and credit card debt. This is why such a large number of individuals who should've been able to manage their healthcare related expenses fell into bankruptcy, they were living on the edge of bankruptcy already because they'd overextended themselves so relatively insignificant additional expense pushed them into bankruptcy.
...and don't make me laugh comparing Canadian physicians to American physicians. The wealthy don't travel from all around the world to have surgery in Canada, pro athletes don't travel to put their livelihoods in the hands of Canadian physicians.
But why is it so expensive? It's very complicated and we can go on for days, and several reasons have already been mentioned. One thing I'd like to add, from what I've seen as a doctor is that we often have a never-say-die attitude when providing care. This can result in near miraculous saves, but also can lead to massive costs. Example: 82 year old man on ventilator in ICU for 2 months with every complication known to man, but we keep going and trying everything, despite the $20,000 per day price tag. Go to any ICU in a major U.S. hospital and you will see many of these cases. From what I've heard from docs in other countries, this is rare elsewhere.
Another aspect of this attitude is that anyone who comes into the ER is given top level care. That's great in principle and as a doctor I love it because everyone deserves the best care. But take the homeless alcoholic drug addict with severe psychiatric problems who is hospitalized more days out of the year than not (we call them frequent flyers). The hospital has become his $12,000 per day home. And he has no insurance, so the cost of his care is distributed to everyone with insurance and higher taxes. That's how public hospitals work. They don't make profit. I know for a fact that ours is operating at a net loss.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are real dilemmas here. A lot of people are scratching their heads as to how to fix this system, and so am I.
Haha, thanks so much for speaking clearly and seeing both sides of the story, nice to see in the comments!
@Waki
PS- Let's not ignore the fact that these folks who are demanding $15/hr for mindless work any idiot could do are the same folks saying that physicians don't deserve a high wage for the incredibly skilled, literally life saving work they do. So you can spend eight hours saying "would you like fries with that?" And think you deserve everything the American dream has to offer but the medical professionals who work 60-80 hours a week saving people's lives or ensuring their quality of life is maintained don't deserve more than they do? They do work that took literally no education while doctors dedicate a decade or more just to become a GP, let alone fellowships and such to become a truly skilled in a specific specialty..? GTFO here with that noise. Of these people with their hands out put as much effort into bettering themselves as they do into begging of others, the problem would solve itself.
PS - That you would wish illness or harm upon anyone only further proves what a pathetic and worthless lot you are. Those of us doing the work and paying ask the taxes don't wish ill upon anyone, we're just sick of you all demanding things you haven't worked to earn for yourselves. I'm not worried about the herp though, I don't f*ck with the skanky types of broads that associate with guys like you! Hard work and clean living leads to a happy life and quality women...
Maybe that extra money can help put someone from a lower or middleclass family through medical school so that its not just the youth from fiancially gifted families that can afford to go. Tuition has after all sky rocketed.
You are a product of your environment. You are lucky to be born in a time and place that set you on the path to becoming who you are today.
Did you grow up a poor, minority?
"Up to a point a person’s life is shaped by environment, heredity, and changes in the world about them. Then there comes a time when it lies within their grasp to shape the clay of their life into the sort of thing they wish it to be. Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, lack of good fortune or the quirks of fate. Everyone has the power to say, "This I am today. That I shall be tomorrow." The wish, however, must be implemented by deeds."
^^^ words to live by there.
2 questions.
Why was your father a poor mechanic? Anyone who is a hard worker could easily do better by your assertion. He must have been lazy free loader.
Would you trade your job for the same amount of pay to do hard physical labour? A lot of the times the shatiest jobs pay the least and the rewarding good job pays the best.
And you got more points for imbecile on my card for this ISIS thing. You pay them every day dude. Saudis are a title sponsor to ISIS and they get money from your pocket. Teddy Roosevelt, Bitter Lake. You turned the region into middle ages (for our common benefit) and now you want to send them into stone age? Come, bomb the sht out of them and 10 years later the current decapitation inc. youtube channel will look like walk in the park compared to guys that will follow. Stay where you are...
A small business just starting out doesn't have janitors, it has educated and talented, hard working entrepreneurs who fill every role. Through the success of those individuals, the relative luxury of employing the unskilled is born. Only the incredible success of the educated and skilled even allows for a world with so much convenience and excess that people like you can make such baselessly foolish claims. Egalitarianism is nothing more than a myth created to make people feel better about the inequalities of natural selection. This is the basic reality that people like you consistently miss... I can do everything the janitor does, but virtually nothing that my job entails is the janitor able to do.
Why is it "of course" that you had a father. Many kids dont. And Im still left wi5ndering why he never pulled up his socks to make a better life you guys.
You seem like the kind of a hole that will be CEO one day making 300x an average employee wage and thinking they are 300x better than the average person.
If you say that everything is for grabs, you just need to go out and take it by working hard and stepping forward then your self awareness is comparable with a lobster.
Of course because we all have fathers. Whether my father was a captain of industry or neck deep in a bottle of Captain Morgan's isn't relevant to the actions taken by my siblings and myself to ensure our success. It's really quite pathetic that your repeatedly trying to insult my father with your insinuation that he didn't work hard. Could he have taken other paths and made other choices, certainly... his choices aren't relevant to the discussion. He chose his path and walked it without ever expecting others to do for him. Whether he could've done more isn't relevant to this discussion... because he didn't expect anything that he didn't earn. You're left wondering exactly because you lack a basic grasp of personal responsibility. I've never sat back and asked why he didn't do more, because it's my responsibility to do what's necessary to succeed in my life and no one else's. This is the fundamental difference you can't grasp, I'm not more successful because of what other people have done for... I'm more successful precisely because I don't expect others to do for me. While you wonder about why my father didn't do more for me or why yours didn't do enough for you, I go to work and do for myself.
You insinuate that not having as father would be crippling somehow... yet I know several accomplished men who never knew their fathers while also knowing several who were born to multi- million dollar inheritances who did nothing with their lives and squandered the fortunes left to them. Blaming your father, or lack thereof, for your failings in life is proof only that you're a weak individual. Nothing in your life is your parents fault, nothing is society's fault, nothing is the fault of the era or location to which you were born... these are all just excuses made by the weak to justify their failure. There's a reason people like me succeed while others fail, it's because we choose to prioritize things and take the steps necessary to achieve the goals we set. We don't bemoan our circumstance and wait for others to do for us. We do for ourselves.
So... quit your crying about not being given enough, or not knowing your daddy, or whatever your issue is, get your hand out of other people's pockets, and realize that you deserve only what you earn.
The world is an F'd up place. Thousands of kids die every single day from hunger. They aren't worried about how to get a good career they are just trying to survive.
Whether you want to admit it or not you have opportunities bestowed unto you that allowed you to become who you are today. You did not do everything on your own.....sorry.
I agree some people have all the opportunity in the world and do nothing with it and some people have very little given to them in life and make a lot of it but just because one person can do something doesn't mean the next with have the same circumstances and mind set (taught or realized) allowing him to do the same. Ya there are dead beats but they are the exception not the rule and even then they are still products of genetics and environment.
Your world view is too simplistic. Ya you didn't need any doctors, teachers, coaches, ministers, friends, mother or father to get you where you are today, you did it all by yourself. No one gave you shot and hired you for anything, you created your own businesses, right? Sure you worked hard but you also need opportunity and no matter what you say its not the same for everyone.
Nothing is the fault of society or the era or location you are born? Good thing you weren't born into a third world country starving for food. Your hopeless. I'm done.
Cheers!
And success is relative, some people may not want my life but then they don't deserve access to what I've earned. That's the disconnect here... too many people in this country want 30 hour work weeks, 12 weeks of vacation, and everything paid for by the government. The Bernie Sanders delusion doesn't work. If they want the benefits of success, then they need to work hard and succeed. It's that simple.
I will concede the point that if you're born in some third world shithole you're more or less f*cked though. But those aren't the people crying for free healthcare and hand outs.
Again your a lost cause.
Healthcare isnt free in Canada. Its no more free than our fire, police, roads, inspectors, military etc etc etc
No shit it isn't free in Canada, where did I say it was? Nothing in this world is free, someone is always paying the cost. The problem in the US is the relative cost currently being paid by those in my income bracket and above grossly exceeds the contributions of cumulative masses who won't, can't, or otherwise aren't contributing. Yet those who won't, can't, or aren't contributing draw upon those resources exponentially more than the rest of us while continually demanding more of us so that they can have more free shit. Maybe it's because you have no grasp upon the issue in the US from where you ate in Canada but you really have no idea how extensive the problem is. People make careers out of social welfare and raise their children to do the same, while reproducing at a rate that exceeds the productive citizens who are paying for their lives. It's an unsustainable system pure and simple. You can bury your head in the sand and pretend it isn't happening or you can say enough is enough and end the problem before it becomes even more economically crippling than it already is.
I can not debate someone who doesn't even know what they are saying.
Bye
It seems like you love your country but hate everyone in it. Strange.
I feel I have struck your nerves with logic and this makes me happy. Thank you.
The US will never get single payer, it won't work. Not in this century, nor the next. You have no understanding of the rate of spending in the US on entitlement programs, it's already untenable... adding to it is simply ensured disaster. Only the poor and the stupid believe otherwise. Even if we were to take senile Uncle Bernie's idea of taxing every penny above $1 million at 100%, it doesn't represent enough revenue to pay for Medicare for just three years. It's basic math and it doesn't work.
@codypup Nah, I don't hate you... that would require a level of emotional investment in you that I'm not capable of. I'm just not willing to pay for your mistakes.
Making calculations as to how much a single single-payer system would cost based on the costs of running the current system based on "for profit" insurance companies will tend to miss an important point.
As "The Healing of America", by T. D. Reid explained, there are two najor reasons why U.S. health care is so expensive:
(1) Unlike other countries, the U.S. government doesn't manage prices currently; and
(2) The for-profit system adds tremendous costs. Just as an example, it was suggested in the book that up to 20c on the dollar is lost to marketing and advertising.
As a result, a single payer system that is not for profit would have a different cost structure.
SIngle payer healthcare is not some kind of Golden Ticket to excellent healthcare for all, yet, oversimplified calculations of costs, whilst easy to do, should be avoided I think.
I stopped reading once everyone started measuring penis sizes based on how poor they grew up.
@WAKIdesigns I forgot what the point of this whole thing was.
PS in the USA, even before Obamacare, over 50% of all money spent on healthcare was spent by government. Even before obamacare, there were tens of thousands of pages of regulations on how healthcare providers can provide healthcare, and how and where insurers must insure customers. Hardly a "free market", in fact, after the financial services sector, the healthcare sector is the MOST socialized part of the American economy.
Northman didn't pay any of my medical bills they just cover me know. Paul is American, they are a Canadian insurance company so they wouldn't work for him.
It would be rad to see an American company follow in Northman's footsteps!
Many of those that can afford to pay for health insurance in America prefer not to because they feel healthy. Its not until they have health issues do they feel the need to call out for national health care services.
As for who will pay the burden of single payer....think about who pays the majority of the burden of health care now? You have the employer pick up the bill but the problem is as it gets more and more expensive they are picking up less of the tab. Not to mention people with jobs that dont provide insurance or people who are out of work.
Since health insurance costs will not need to be paid by the employer anymore they can afford to pay more taxes. But dont worry a single payer system is more cost efficient and those greedy bastards (large corps, no small business) can afford it.
Here's a little recap on what Northman Insurance is all about:
Northman Co. is an insurance company designed specifically for adventure athletes. Most insurance companies won’t cover many sports and activities and more often than not, the athletes themselves don’t even know it until it’s too late.
That’s where we come in. No more tricks. No more leaving athletes high and dry.
1. No sport exclusions
2. Complete medical coverage for races, events, and competitions
3. We foot the bill at the hospital
4. Annual option: low monthly payment for year long coverage (last minute trip, no problem!)
Northman Co. is quickly becoming the go to Insurance Brokerage for athletes in adventure sport and travel.
The great news is we'll be offering these services worldwide in early 2016!
If you have any questions, feel free to shoot us an email: hello@northman.co
p.s. creep us on Instagram! @northmanco
I race enduro in the uk and require insurance for it, and know exactly what I can claim for etc, as well as having private healthcare through work. If I was ever going to compete in rampage, I would make sure I was covered.
Same applies to all these riders, I find it amazing they don't have the correct insurance, regardless of whether Red Bull should or should not be responsible. Do you see DH riders suing the UCI for injuries sustained? Need to start thinking of it more as Rampage, sponsored by Red Bull. They provide a free event for millions to enjoy around the globe, and everyone complains....
so awesome, and a breath of fresh air in todays world of corporate stiffs
ps. if you dont like the risks in something don't do it.
if you take that risk you know what the consequences maybe.
This is why that deal last year when that Rampage rider came on here looking for help to cover his medical expenses from the event floored me.
You can damn-well bet Red Bull HAD insurance for the event, if for no other reason than ANYONE who participated in the event that got hurt could've sued the land-owner(assuming it is/was the state of Utah). Hell, a fricken burglar who breaks into your house while YOU'RE GONE and somehow hurts himself can SUE YOU!
Bottom line is this: If you're gonna take part in ANY so-called 'risky' sport, then it is absolutely ON YOU to have medical insurance to cover any injury you might suffer.
Most insurance companies have policies that solely cover serious injuries, so the young(er) people who may not get sick often, and if/when they do don't go to the dr. for it can get and afford a policy that will ensure they'll get proper treatment if/when they do happen to suffer any serious injury.
The bottom line is, if you're gonna compete in events that are risky in nature-and Rampage sure as HECK qualifies as such, it's on YOU to make sure YOU have medical insurance. Every single participant in said events is either an ADULT, or has to have a Parent/Guardian sign for them. And as ADULTS, we are responsible for OUR OWN WELL BEING.
Having to go on the internet to solicit donations to pay for your broken leg is definitely NOT an 'acceptable' way to 'cover' your injury, and that individual quite frankly should not have been able to enter not only Rampage, but ANY such event.