Anybody using Spot "insurance" for bike accidents?

I recently suffered a pretty significant accident while MTB. I went over the handle bars and got a nasty 16cm laceration on my quad. Needless to say, the medical bills started coming in and while I have insurance and they are covering the majority of the accident, I still have to pay my deductible.

Recently, I found a company called SPOT which is an “insurance” for your deductible or out of pocket medical expenses. Apparently, you pay $25/month and if you have an accident, then they reimburse you for your out of pocket cost.
Apparently the Williams brothers from Legion are ambassadors for the brand…
It almost seems too good to be true. Has anybody here used them? Opinions?

Yup… how to forget that image… its burned in my brain now! :joy: :skull:

This sounds similar to AFLAC and other insurance that offer similar benefits.
Have you check if your employer offers a similar insurance. Usually is not specific for biking, but a bike accident might be covered.

1 Like

Our local crit series (the Driveway in Austin) partners with SPOT to provide coverage for any riders who opt in and pay the SPOT fee for racing. I’m not aware of anyone specific who has had to use it for expenses, but researched it quite a bit and seems to work pretty well. As mentioned by someone else, it is kinda like AFLAC in that they provide out-of-pocket expenses that your insurance wouldn’t cover if you haven’t hit your deductible etc.
For what it’s worth, I did sign up and paid for the season of SPOT… but we only got 3 of our 26 races due to “you know what”. So :man_shrugging:

1 Like

Ohh No! haha thankfully I didnt include any of the pictures prior to the staples. Those are scary.

Honestly, the recovery has been pretty good and I am already back on the bike but only Zone 1.

1 Like

@alvaroe16 I was getting ready to ask the same question about Spot, or other, accident insurance. I had an epic gravel ride descent crash this weekend - cracked helmet, concussion, bruised shoulder, ribs, thigh, hip, etc. Going to the ER was the wise thing to do, but the out-of-pocket costs after (USA) medical insurance high deductibles will be significant I’m sure.

I was also just looking at Spot ads. They do offer in my state, but due to ‘state laws’ it’s more like $41/month. I’m thinking it’s been 4 years since my last crash that incurred medical bills. If I keep to that average, $41 * 12 months * 4 years = $1968. So am I out of pocket more than $2000 when the insurance-adjusted ER bills arrive in the mail? Time will tell, but the answer may easily be yes :frowning:

Also worth noting - USA Cycling membership has benefits in this regard too. Obviously not helpful during COVID times, but my crash 4 years ago was at a USA Cycling registered event, and as a USA Cycling member that afforded me supplemental accident coverage - which after its own deductible did pay 75% of my remaining out-of-pocket costs.

Big difference with something like Spot is it’s not limited to specific events/races. It’s anything, anywhere, anytime (other than their pretty insurance industry typical exclusions).

*laughs in european *

(sorry :yum:)

3 Likes

I am sorry about your crash. I am thankful that you are okay and recovery.

Honestly, you made the same math that I did. With my deductible being $2,400 and my max out of pocket closer to $3,500, the breakeven math shows that Spot is convenient if I crash in less than ~100 months or 8 years. With the price of medicine in the US, a trip to the ER (for any crash) will quickly be more than $2,400. My crash in August was $9,000+ although I did end up with a pretty big laceration on my quad.

I think I will likely get the SPOT insurance starting in January since at this point I already covered my deductible for this year. “Crashing for the next two months is ‘free’”… such a f-ed way that the US medical system works.

2 Likes

Very true, and very sad

Everyone needs health care, but only a few people can afford it. Therefore, the government should pay for medical insurance for everyone.