Comments on: Wheeeeee!!! I’mm Gonnaaaa Diieeeee!!! … Meets The World of Insurance Coverage in China (and India)

By: Daniel Fleek

Daniel Fleek — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:42:20 +0000

Even if I owned the insurance with the most extensive coverage, I don’t think it would matter if something went wrong on that bungee jump. However, regarding business in China, which is what I’m going to there for, the blog post addressed some key issues to consider about insurance such as buying it through people you know rather than relying on Chinese counterparts. For the upcoming trip, I’m not planning on anything happening to me which will force me to use insurance and will definitely read the Cal Poly insurance policy to make sure I don’t do anything that isn’t covered. And if I do feel the need to bungy jump or swing on a 700 foot swing, I’ll do it on my own time.

By: Georgia

Georgia — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:18:48 +0000

I would love to swing on top of the second highest steel building. I would be amazing to have that perspective. It’s unfortunate that we won’t be traveling to that area, but it doesn’t damper my excitement for China. But I couldn’t imagine bungee jumping off 61 floors. When the man in the clip said that the cord was done wrong and had to be fixed! I would have lost any desire right then.
With all the fine print in policies it is easy to skim the first part and then skip the rest. But when it comes to entering China I am going to read everything with a magnifying glass – if necessary. I don’t like to take chances on things, especially if I can prepare for them before-hand.

By: Ashley Tyra

Ashley Tyra — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 06:43:20 +0000

As much fun as that swing looks, it would not be worth the risk. Since I would be scared of doing something like this in the United States, China doesn’t seem like the best place to get brave.

Much like the post on being locked up abroad, I would not want to be injured abroad either – especially if it isn’t covered by insurance. After reading the China Law Blog, I will make sure to read through the insurance packet from Cal Poly very carefully so I understand what is and isn’t covered.

By: Fred S.

Fred S. — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:59:59 +0000

Sometimes you have got to take a chance. Like the bungee jump, doing business in China is risky but the rewards are high and they come at you fast. That doesn’t mean take stupid risks, though. Take calculated risks. There are ways to mitigate the risk. Maybe mitigating the risk is through various insurance policies and catering to the fine print. I can say that when I didn’t have health insurance for a short period of time after college, I definitely thought twice before hucking my bike off a jump or heading out of bounds on the slopes. It sucks that insurance can feel like a controlling force on your decisions. Having it, though, is a confidence booster. Just don’t get in over your head or off the plan.

By: Keith Cody

Keith Cody — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:42:51 +0000

China is different than American culture in nearly every way. This blog entry is a reminder that it’s different in ways you don’t even think about. We should remember that we are on an business trip, not an adventure trip. If we want to skydive, we can do that on another trip.

As all of the previous entries have taught us, we need to use our heads in China. If we choose to do business, we need to protect ourselves with American insurance, not Chinese insurance. Just as they will sell you fraudulent milk, Chinese companies will also sell you fraudulent insurance. If you have Chinese insurance, and something happens, you may not be covered.

In America, some activities, like owning a tiger, using dynamite or skateboarding, are “Inherently Dangerous”. This means that you are strictly liable for your actions; accidents don’t just happen. Sometime this means you have greater liability: if you blow up the wrong thing, or your tiger escapes, no matter how well he was locked up, and starts munching people, you are liable. Sometimes you have lesser liability: if a skateboarder crashes trying to 50/50 grind your handrail in your mall, it’s their fault, because skateboarding is “Inherently Dangerous”.

Jeb Corliss is a skydiver and stuntman. He has some awesome footage of him sky diving through Tianmen Mountain park in China. I highly suggest you check it out. Jeb recently clipped the side of Table Mountain in South Africa and currently has two broken legs. Who knows when he’ll be able to film footage like this again. The Chinese government doesn’t have to worry, though, because under American law, skydiving is “Inherently Dangerous”.

By: Jeffrey Brown

Jeffrey Brown — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 23:12:49 +0000

Life is full of risks, insurance is there to mitigate those risks at an increased cost. In negotiations we learned about contingent contracts, and in many regards insurance is like a contingent contract (only much more complicated). As with contingent contracts, you must know what it is you are betting on. Though I hope not to have to use the insurance while in China, I plan on reading what it is I am covered for so I know ahead of time and am not panicking to find out in the heat of the moment.

Also, you have to be insane to do a Bungee jump like that!

By: Grant

Grant — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:30:54 +0000

Personally, I’m not going to China to take those kids of chances. There are plenty of risks that could be taken in China without taking those kinds of risks. I’m usually pretty risk neutral, but in the case of bungee cords and swings over a 1100′ precipice, I’m risk aversed.
While it would not be C.P. sanctioned insurance, one can buy “Extreme Sports” travel insurance, and if anyone is interested, I can point them in the right direction, but I have no experience making claims against said insurance. (I don’t think alcohol/drug use would be considered “Extreme Sports”, however)

By: Charles Dornbush

Charles Dornbush — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:50:52 +0000

This post and the last “Locked Up Abroad” post has led me to approach “off-the-clock” time in China very cautiously. I would never bungee jump off a three-story building in SLO, let alone a huge tower in a foreign country. Also, I’m pretty sure insurance would be the least of your worries if that cord broke, as you would be dead.

This post makes me want to read our insurance policy very carefully to make sure it covers any potential issues we might face in China. I suspect it does, but i’m sure our “off-the-clock” coverage is limited.

I plan on going to Macau before our trip starts, but I think I’ll stick with the casinos.

By: Vladimir

Vladimir — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:17:30 +0000

She doesn’t look strapped in on that swing. Then again ski lifts don’t have seatbelts either, though it’s just not the same. I went bungee jumping once, but the bridge I jumped from was only 100 feet high, and there were no mistakes. Getting the cord wrong and catching that on film will be bad publicity for this Macau bungee company.

I read that in the near future medical insurance policies might be scanning social media to see how high a risk their insured are (e.g. do they hang glide or like to get drunk often). Insurance companies love low risk people who fear that something will happen to them. There’s a reason the fine print in an insurance policy is fine. It can be hard to know what’s what when buying or comparing policies. It would be nice if there were an insurance software package where we could download different policies and privately input information about ourselves and it would spit out the statistically optimal purchase, or non-purchase.

By: Kevin K.

Kevin K. — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:56:34 +0000

This post takes me back to Bradford Anderson’s summer business law course, where we devoted a good portion of the class to studying contract law. One of the major takeaways, which Prof. Carr reiterates in this post, is the fact that you should actually read something before you sign. Like most people I am guilty of just clicking that box that says “I understand XX and agree to the terms and services of XX” and proceed without having even opened the document. However, those terms of service are not usually as critical as an insurance policy. I have already signed up for extended travelers insurance for our post-China travelling, and made sure that I read and understood everything the said policy entailed.

While that swing does look fun, as most death-defying things usually appear to be, is China really the place — let alone on a class trip — to be risking your life for a thrill? Maybe, but you’d better be ready for the insurance policy to not cover such experiences.