No matter what any bureaucrat or businessman says, nobody likes their health insurance. Here in the U.S. of A., insurance is expensive, confusing and if you ever get injured, dealing with your provider will be the rancid icing on an already moldy cake. One company doing their damndest to make insurance suck considerably less—specifically for otherwise healthy outdoors lovers—is Spot, a relatively new, subscription-based, on-demand injury insurance company that aims to provide peace of mind to active and adventurous individuals.
Now, writing about insurance isn't something I ever thought would be on the menu when I started Field Mag back in 2015. And this isn't a sponsored article. Spot as a product is genuinely interesting, even encouraging, for those who live healthy, active lifestyles that put them in harms way from time to time. I subscribe myself, and I know many readers out there are insurance-less or close to it, so here we are.
As you might expect, Spot's founders were frustrated with the available options for injury insurance, the complexities of in- and out-of-network costs, and high deductibles, all qualities of the catastrophic plans many adventurous folks wind up on. Taking the approach of a tech company, Spot has figured out how to fill these gaps, providing injury insurance to its members on the cheap—so cheap, you might've already been covered by Spot without even knowing it.
Working predominantly B2B, the company has partnered directly with ski resorts like Jackson Hole, Powder Mountain, and all Alterra-owned resorts to provide skiers and snowboarders with the option to add Spot insurance to their lift ticket or season pass purchase—just $6 per ticket or $65 per pass covers up to $25,000 in medical bills per on-mountain injury. If you're an Ikon Pass holder, you can buy coverage too, thanks to a recently inked deal. Any trip to ski patrol (or worse) is covered. And if you already had health insurance, Spot would take care of any extra out-of-pocket fees.
In addition to ski resorts, Spot has partnered with organizations like USA Cycling, Wilderness Collective, the American Mountain Guide Association, and others to offer more access to its unique injury coverage plans, too. Anyone who subscribes to Outside+ can also get Spot for $90/year (which is probably less than a Band-Aid will cost you at the doctor's office) to cover any injuries that occur while skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, rock climbing, or hiking. I personally have this plan, though thankfully have not had to use it yet.
If Spot doesn't seem like an insurance company, maybe it's because its founders are skiers, cyclists, and outdoor enthusiasts themselves. With "athlete-advisors" like Travis Rice, Garrett McNamara, Chris Davenport, and Adrian Ballinger, they're constantly refining their offerings to make it more accessible and better tuned to their user base.
Leave it to a group of everyday adventurers to make insurance enable these pursuits, rather than bog it down in paperwork and fees.
Published 07-10-2023
