In a press release effective today, the Bahamas Hyperbaric Centre, LTD announced that they will no longer accept the Divers Alert Network (DAN) America insurance for payment of diving related injuries. All divers traveling to the Bahamas are advised to either secure appropriate dive insurance from a source other than DAN America or be prepared to pay out-of-pocket for any treatments related to possible diving accidents that might require a recompression chamber. The Bahamas hyperbaric clinic will continue to treat all patients as medically necessary.
The Bahamas Hyperbaric Center is said to be faced with increased financial pressures to keep its facility operational and its staff on ready alert, and as such, can no longer accept Dan America insurance as payment for services.
This action only applies to DAN America (not DAN Europe, DAN Southern Africa, DAN S.E. Asia - Pacific, or DAN Japan), as DAN America is the only insurance carrier that has not settled its claims with the Bahamas Hyperbaric Centre, LTD. It is worth noting that the other DAN World organizations, PADI, Insurance and all other dive insurers worldwide, including major medical health programs in the United States and Europe, including National Health programs have settled satisfactorily claims for hyperbaric medical services with our company and continue to be accepted at the chamber.
This announcement comes on the heals of a similar announcement by SSS (Sub-aquatic Safety Services), with chambers in Mexico, Belize and Thailand, that they would no longer accept insurance from DAN America over billing disputes.
DAN responded to the earlier announcement saying the dispute was over what constituted "reasonable and customary" charges for treatment of decompression illness. DAN claims Mr. Mauricio Moreno, owner of SSS, says his charges are "reasonable and customary," even if the charges are significantly higher than similar services elsewhere.