Betty Blog #3

Betty Blog #3

By Brett Lee

One thing as a motocrosser and a Canadian that I am so grateful for is the fact that never once in my racing or personal life have I worried about health coverage. My neighbour is a doctor. He was born and raised in Poland, moved and studied in the United States, practiced, amongst other places, in Regina, SK and now resides in my small town of Seaforth. He is a man who has seen much. He laughs when I talk about bike injuries and comments that I would likely be bankrupt if I lived anywhere else in the world. It is a benefit of being a citizen in this country we all take for granted, and forget how many people would gladly switch places to endure the long waits in ERs for the opportunity to receive universal health care. In the US, 700,000 families go bankrupt each year after trying to pay for their health care – even though three quarters of them are insured. (Health Affairs 2006).

In action sports, there are a number of high profile injuries, and behind them the devastating financial toll they can have.

Our women’s freestyle ski pioneer, athlete and spokesperson Sarah Burke lost her life a few weeks ago. It was a terrible loss for the ski community and her family. Her voice and status made her passing shoot to the forefront of news pages around the world. Shockingly, it became more tragic when it was learned the skier’s family would be absorbing the medical costs that crept up to over $200,000. The legacy Sarah had left behind further lifted when fans, family and friends rallied to raise more than $300,000 through the websitehttp://www.giveforward.com/sarahburke to offset the expense. However, without the enormous support and recognition, this tragedy could have been far further reaching. In many cases each year… it is.

Rockstar Valli-Star Racing Yamaha team rider Ryan Morais was injured at the Los Angeles Supercross race on January 22, 2012. Ryan’s injuries were very substantial, which included a fractured C1 C2 C6-7 and T1, broken ribs, and a broken upper and lower jaw. Ryan had surgery to align his jaws and his mouth has been wired for the next eight weeks. Ryan will be wearing a C collar to keep his neck stable, but will have to wait 6-8 weeks to have surgery. Four and a half months ago Ryan’s wife Hannah gave birth to their son Krue. Hannah is still on maternity leave and was expecting to go back to work in a few weeks. Ryan does have health insurance but the hospital he is at is out of his family’s network, which means a lot of the cost associated with staying by Ryan’s side will be assumed by the family.

Action sports are made up of young confident people; young men and women who often spend every cent to make it to the next race, or competition, athletes who in many cases represent and look after themselves. I can understand how the misunderstanding of coverage can happen. I have been in the motocross industry most of my life as a racer, promoter, or organizer. I have been involved in almost every aspect of the sport, and yet with that experience I don’t pretend to understand the complexities of insurance coverage.

Looking at the seriousness of these cases, it seems to me that (at least here in Canadian motocross) we need to have an outlet that reviews a rider’s personal insurance coverage; a consultant that can break down all the grey areas of insurance coverage that often pop up and leave families with unexpected bills in difficult times. Many families are left without coverage they likely thought they had to cover hospital expenses and loss of income.

Motocross is a sport that rallies around our own. Programs like Road 2 Recovery – http://road2recovery.com/ – raise thousands of dollars for riders each year to help them through all the tribulations that are connected to serious crashes resulting in injury. Perhaps what we need to do is help riders understand injury prevention on all levels and what coverage exists, what thee coverage delivers, and what best choices riders and their families can make. This would elevate the focus on prevention and security if a traumatic crash occurs.

Medical insurance isn’t just a problem unique to the United States. Riders travelling anywhere in the world, even those that come to Canada, are subject to varying degrees of hospital care and coverage. It is also important to understand that coverage can be specific to the country in which a rider is competing, the type of competition and location in proximity to hospitals.

It becomes clear in the wake of a rider’s injury and in the cases mentioned of the stars of our sport; there are a lot of variables and grey zones in health coverage especially when it relates to action sports. We need to know the extent of the parameters. Ultimately, the responsibility falls back on each of us. We must do the best with what we have. Ask as many questions as you can when investing in coverage, invest in the best coverage you can and make decisions you are comfortable with.