Soccer club insurance

Gav2304

Hi all,
Hope you can help me out a little.
2 months ago I was playing football for my local club. 15 minutes into the game I was turning , my foot got stuck in the ground & I tore my anterior cruciate ligament. At the start of the year the club assured the team we were covered by insurance. After going to the doctor getting a referral for an MRI, going for the MRI & seeing a specialist I have a bill of €420. The specialist advised I need surgery which he has quoted me to be €4500. After physio bills & all the rest the total cost is going to be up near €6k. I contacted the club & told them this. They gave me the insurance details & when I rang they told me the max payout on the policy is €2k. The club have refused to help out with the costs & I most certainly don't have that kind of money to pay the remaining bill. Any advise would be very helpful, 5 weeks on & I still have a very bad limp & im very uncomfortable.

coylemj

An insurance policy with a maximum payout of 2K sounds like no insurance at all. Are you sure you were speaking to an official of an insurance company? When you say they gave you the 'details', did they supply a policy number and the name of an established insurance company?

whippet

Unfortunately most junior clubs in Ireland don't have funds to pay out on stuff like this .. Hence the insurance. As far as I know most leagues insist that clubs have a basic level of insurance for the players and this is what you reg money will go towards.

When I was playing soccer I always had private insurance for this very reason.

What you are looking to have done is private medical care which costs and and unfortunately costs are not cheap. Your options really are to pay up or look to go down the public route which more than likely be a long slow process if it isn't an emergency.

Gav2304

whippet wrote: »

Unfortunately most junior clubs in Ireland don't have funds to pay out on stuff like this .. Hence the insurance. As far as I know most leagues insist that clubs have a basic level of insurance for the players and this is what you reg money will go towards.

When I was playing soccer I always had private insurance for this very reason.

What you are looking to have done is private medical care which costs and and unfortunately costs are not cheap. Your options really are to pay up or look to go down the public route which more than likely be a long slow process if it isn't an emergency.

I had only recently taken out health insurance but you can't make a claim for 6 months (so I've been told). I know most clubs will tell you what the maximum payout on a policy is, this club in question had told us we were fully covered & were unaware of the payout until I had told them. An acl injury isn't uncommon in this sport so why pay insurance in the first place if they won't cover it?

coylemj

whippet wrote: »

Unfortunately most junior clubs in Ireland don't have funds to pay out on stuff like this .. Hence the insurance.

Yes but if the max payout is 2K, the club is paying a premium for virtually no insurance at all. I'd say 90% of the premium is being swallowed up by the broker's commission and the insurance company's administration and profit. They'd be better off putting 2K into a deposit a/c and letting the interest accumulate.

coylemj

Gav2304 wrote: »

I had only recently taken out health insurance but you can't make a claim for 6 months (so I've been told).

The six months 'waiting time' may only apply to pre-existing conditions, for accidental injury you can normally claim straight away. Check again.