There are a variety of different insurance policies fit for covering rugby players and these provide peace of mind for players and parents. Here is what they cover:
In general, rugby insurance provided by the game’s governing body, e.g. the RFU, covers you for public liability and personal accident insurance to cover worst case scenarios. To cover items, such as: dental care, loss of income, and physiotherapy then a further private plan needs to be taken out.
Whilst everyone gains access to the insurance provided by their country’s governing body of rugby e.g. USA Rugby, the cover is only really useful if injuries are catastrophic, i.e. permanent disablement and spinal injuries.
For everything else you are reliant on your country’s health service which may come with additional expenses and waiting times depending on where you live.
If you prefer to have cover, due to the expense of healthcare in your country, or perhaps because you have financial responsibilities, like mortgage payments, or school fees to pay for, then a private rugby insurance is the way to go. Let’s take a look at what could, or should be included.
You might want to check out: UK Rugby Insurance Policies Compared
What To Look For In A Private Rugby Insurance Policy
Loss of income
Anyone with a family to take care of, or with no savings in the bank may want to seriously consider this. If you break a leg playing at the weekend and are unable to work then your income may well then take a hit. If this means you can’t make mortgage payments, car payments, or keep your family in the manner to which they are accustomed then you should definitely look for this in a policy.
This is not included in all policies and when it is available you can normally choose the level of cover on a sliding scale. Typically you can cover up to 75% of your salary, or up to a m maximum of 1,000 GBP per week.
Diagnostics including MRI and CT scans
If you take a bang to the head you don’t want to be waiting ages at a government hospital. A private hospital, however, often gets you quicker access to MRI and CT scans so you can get a diagnosis and start treatment earlier.
Hospital and surgeon fees
Professionals that can cut open a human body and fix things inside are always going to need to be paid a high salary and let’s be honest would you want someone operating on your knee if they weren’t being paid well?
The flip side is though, that this won’t come cheaply and this will be something that keeps the insurance price from being lower.
Physiotherapy
This is crucial in my opinion for private rugby insurance. Most players want to get back on the pitch as soon as possible and that means not waiting around to get an appointment via a government health service (the NHS in the UK).
Being able to pick up the phone and get an immediate appointment knowing that you won’t have to pay out of your own pocket is very reassuring indeed, and for a young player very heartening to know that you will be back out on the pitch enjoying yourself as soon as possible.Out-patient Benefits
Typically a private rugby insurance policy should include pre and post admission consultations, i.e. the cost of actually seeing the doctor up to a specified amount.
You should also be looking for coverage of out-patient procedures. Usually, this is for things like x-raying and putting a cast on a broken arm.
Cover Outside the UK
Certain policies for example the one offered by AXA offer extended coverage for if your team goes off touring to another country. Of course there is an additional cost to this but it is usually worth it for the additional peace of mind.
At this point you might be interested in: Rugby Travel Insurance: What You Need To Know
Public liability insurance
This is included in the governing bodies insurance scheme which you will be automatically enrolled in if you pay the club registration fees.
What this means is that if you cause injury, loss or damage to another player and it is found that you were negligent in some way then the governing bodies insurance scheme will cover your liability up to 25 million GBP in the UK.
Most people are happy with this level but those seeking more can search for this within a sports insurance policy.
Home Nursing
Hopefully this will never be needed but should you suffer some serious spinal injury then you may be bed bound and a visiting home nurse would be essential. If not than you better have a very understanding and committed partner!
Accidental Death
Another feature that you would probably rather not think about! But heaven forbid the worst did happen then at least your loved ones would gain some financial support. This element becomes particularly important if you are the main breadwinner for the family. Think on!
Other Benefits
Nowadays it is commonplace to gain access to a specialist helpline where qualified doctors are available to answer your concerns over the phone.
This is a useful service to have especially when you are not sure if something is serious enough to merit going to an emergency ward or not.
What Is Not Covered In Sports Insurance?
Typically rugby/sports insurance policies won’t cover you for treatment of congenital defects, i.e. conditions that you were born with, or conditions that can simply be allocated to the ageing process (great shame!)
You also won’t get cover for chronic conditions that you have had for a long time, or that pre-exist the policy. This is why they may require you to let them see your medical records or for you to at least answer questions about your medical history honestly.
Mental health issues are also not going to be covered, so conditions such as: ADHD, sleep disorders, depression, and any self-inflicted injuries. Ono that note I wonder if James Haskell would have been covered when he ran into a post!
Other more obvious items that won’t be covered include getting hurt in riots, civil unrest and warfare, sexual problems and gender reassignment.
You may even get access to a GP Video Consultation Appointment service. This is particularly useful for rugby players who might have some form of physical injury that is much easier to show a doctor on video rather than explain.
You might also want to know: Do You Even Need Insurance To Play Rugby?
Image Credits
MRI Scan showing herniation of a cervical disc at C6-C7 Anthonp, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
