If your child is headed to a sports camp this summer, you may be eagerly looking forward to a break and excited about the new skills and accomplishments your child is likely to achieve. But with sports comes risk, and if your child is injured at camp, your entire family's summer plans may quickly be put into a tailspin. Will your primary insurance policy cover sports camp injuries? What about the added expense of transporting your child back home or the loss of the rest of the camp tuition fee? Read on to learn more about sports camp coverage under many common insurance policies, as well as why purchasing a standalone sports camp insurance policy may be your better bet. 

Do Most Health Insurance Policies Cover Sports Camp?

Unless your health insurance policy has a specific exclusion for certain activities, it likely provides the same hospitalization and injury-related coverage as it does for non-sports-camp injuries. However, there are some major exceptions. 

First, many insurance policies exclude what they consider "dangerous" activities like skydiving, bungee jumping, and other higher-than-average-risk sports. While your child's soccer or basketball camp is unlikely to fall within one of these restrictions, many such camps encourage campers to participate in these outside team building activities, many of which may be more dangerous than the sports themselves. It's a good idea to give your insurance provider a call (or talk to the insurance representative at your employer, if your insurance is through your employer) to make sure that any injuries your child might sustain at camp should be fully covered. 

Another exception comes in when the sports camp is located outside the U.S.—or your child travels outside the U.S. while at camp. Some health insurance policies don't provide overseas coverage without a separate supplement, so it's crucial to know whether your policy provides out-of-country coverage if your child is going to be traveling abroad.  

Finally, if your child is traveling out-of-state, it may be harder to find an "in-network" provider or hospital if he or she is injured. Even if your policy provides coverage, the difference between rates charged by in-network and out-of-network providers can be significant.

When Is Separate Insurance Coverage a Good Idea? 

Many insurers will issue a rider or even a separate standalone policy designed to provide additional sports camp coverage. These policies can include benefits that may not always be found in traditional insurance policies, like coverage for travel expenses, lost deposits, or other collateral consequences of an early return from camp. Such a policy can majorly defray the expenses of a camp-related injury and minimize the disruption for you and your child. 

For more information, contact an insurance company about sports camp insurance coverage.

Share