Recreationists residing in the state can pay a small fee to waive potential costs if a hike goes wrong.
Utah officials announced the launch of a new search and rescue insurance product available to nature enthusiasts and campers. The fee is extremely affordable and would mean that policyholders wouldn’t need to pay expensive costs for search and rescue if a hike or camping adventure goes awry.
That said, entire families can buy the Utah search and rescue insurance for $35 to cover each member. The idea is to help counties to recoup the costs associated with having to locate and assist hikers and other nature adventurers when they get lost or go missing. In those situations counties need to pay for the initial cost. From there, they must either absorb that cost themselves or submit a request to the state for reimbursement. If the state does not pay for the expenses, the county can decide to bill the rescued individual, instead.
The search and rescue insurance makes sure that counties will look to the state, not the individual, for payment.
This new insurance coverage program will ensure that anyone who has purchased a policy will qualify to have their expenses covered by the state, allowing the counties to be reimbursed. However, if a county sheriff determines that the incident leading to the search and rescue was the result of recklessness, the county may choose to charge the individual. Equally, the coverage doesn’t pay for medical expenses, nor does it pay to find or rescue dogs or other pets. It is meant for humans only.
This new program is open to residents of Utah. The annual fee covers all the hikes or camping trips policyholders take within the state throughout the length of the year.
Utah emergency responders will take a call regardless of whether or not search and rescue insurance is present. That said, the coverage makes sure the individuals who were not unnecessarily reckless will not need to use their savings or even find themselves in debt in order to cover the costs incurred in bringing them back to safety again.
