Zuffa is finally taking steps towards insuring all of its contracted fighters against injury incurred in a UFC sanctioned fight, in training--pretty much whatever, whenever. The UFC and Strikeforce employ roughly 350 fighters who would have their premiums paid by Zuffa, parent company of both promotions. This is something that has been discussed in the past but the premiums to insure a professional fighter were extremely expensive, according to Dana White. I think there was a story a while back about Joe Stevenson going to Mexico to get an operation because he couldn't afford to have it done stateside. The UFC has traditionally paid for medical expenses for its fighters on a case-by-case basis but a blanket insurance policy, a good one, sounds like a major step up. Kudos to Zuffa for doing the right thing. http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/5/9...insurance-policy-conference-call-live-updates
Re: Zuffa exploring medical insurance for all its fighters Glad to hear this. Another step in making the sport more "reputable".
Re: Zuffa exploring medical insurance for all its fighters Some muddy information about the policy not covering illness or disease, just "in the line of action" or "accidental" costs. Oops--lupus! I hope Staph and other training-related ailments would be covered.
http://mmajunkie.com/news/23542/a-c...ew-accident-insurance-policy-for-fighters.mma Everyone is covered under the new plan. That includes fighters under the Strikeforce banner, and those residing outside of the U.S. All told, Fertitta estimated the number of athletes to be at 400. Zuffa pays 100 percent of the premiums for the policy. There are no monthly fees incurred by the fighter for participating in the plan. A fighter's yearly maximum benefit is $50,000. Covered expenses include doctor's visits, lab tests, emergency room visits, physical therapy – anything related to an injury that may arise in the course of training or that would prohibit a fighter from competing (such as slipping and falling on ice while walking to his car). The policy stays in effect regardless of whether a fighter has a booking. As long as the fighter is under contract with Zuffa, the benefits remain. The policy does not cover routine medical visits. Zuffa's supplemental insurance policy that covers athletes on fight night stays intact. A full-time Zuffa employee is set to handle claims arising from the new policy. It's the same employee who handled claims arising from fight night. There are no provisions in a Zuffa fighter's contract that prevent other activities associated with risk, though White said they are told to "use common sense." Epstein added that those provisions are typically seen in franchises with employees rather than independent contractors, as in the UFC.
Re: Zuffa exploring medical insurance for all its fighters Dunno how much $50,000 covers. Never had to pay a medical bill in my life. Can a Yank chime in and maybe say how much a broken hand costs to get reset and cast?
I think 50gs is enough for most injuries you could get while training. good on the UFC for finally doing this, athough it leaves a lot to be desired.
I have no actual experience but I'm pretty sure the costs of surgeries (and everything) is NUTS. Emergency appendectomies cost over $20,000 if you're uninsured when you add up the cost of surgery, overnight stay at the hospital, and a bunch of other ridiculous shit they charge you for. Thats a very, VERY routine surgery. Granted, it probably costs more because its an emergency situation but then factor in that most guys will be needing more complicated surgeries, probably more nights in the hospital and undoubtedly thousands upon thousands of dollars in rehab. Obviously the 50k is nice and very helpful, will probably save fighters a lot of cash for simple things like a broken nose, broken hand, etc. but when guys wreck their ligaments you're talking surgery (probably with a very good, very expensive surgeon) + months of rehab. Nice gesture but I'm not convinced that its completely comprehensive.
BTW how did fighters pay for expensive medical bills before? Were they actually paying with their own money? I would imagine there is some route for them to be individually insured no? Probably quite expensive though.
The UFC has traditionally covered anything that happened during a fight. Everything else wasn't on them. Medical insurance has been difficult for these guys to get because it is expensive (Joe Stevenson was going to TJ to get x-rays because his insurance premium was in excess of $500/month---not much in the grand scheme of things but that is a lot for a part-time or new fighter). In fact the UFC isn't offering medical insurance, really, they are offering accident insurance.
