We live in a beautiful country, and it's been our privilege to get to know more and more of it through our work at Buddy.
When we first launched, we rolled out in just a few states so that we could learn and understand what was working and what needed work. Our idea was simple, provide extra cash if you get hurt without asking you to buy coverage on days you don't want it.
Now, we've taken into account the first year of business and listened to feedback, and we're excited to announce that Buddy has formed a new carrier partnership and is taking our on-demand accident insurance nationwide.
What we learned
The nature of any startup is constant change, and we're no different. Here are a few things that we've learned and updated since our initial launch.
More states
This is the big one. When can I get covered in my state? Today is a big milestone. We're through the regulatory process in 23 states and D.C., and we're in process in the rest. 50, here we come! As always, coverage is good no matter where you go.
Updated benefits
Based on what has happened over the past year, we have made some updates to our benefits. Some of the high-dollar benefits like death and dismemberment have come down. We did this to create a new level of benefits for fractures and breaks while keeping our daily pricing under $10 a day. Since we see way more of these injuries, we should be able to better take care of more people.
Simplify
Insurance does not have to be complicated. To that end, we've done away with different pricing for participation in organized competition, and coverage is now all-inclusive of both recreation and competition.
How it works
We think about what we do as providing the extra layer of protection when you're active, just like you would throw a raincoat in your backpack, even if it looks clear. The nationwide version of our coverage is even easier.
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Sign up at my.buddy.insure. Decide who (you, your family, or just the kids) you want to be covered and for how long, from a day to the whole year. Once you're signed up, you're protected if you have an accident anywhere in the world.
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If you get hurt while you're covered, get treatment! Once you've taken care of your body, file a claim within 30 days of going to the ER, hospital, or urgent care. You'll just need to tell us what happened and send your documentation from the doctor.
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Once your claim is handled, benefits are paid directly to you. That means you decide how you want to use the money.
The Nitty-Gritty
To be able to affordably cover you for everyday accidents and during 99% of the fun stuff you do, from backcountry skiing to rock climbing, we decided that there were a few activities that we would not cover. This wasn't an easy decision, and we didn't make it lightly.
We're not able to protect you if you're high lining, cliff diving, skydiving, BASE jumping, street luging or wingsuiting. But, you should definitely watch the videos of these sports because they are amazing.
If you're fee-soloing or mountaineering without ropes and gear where appropriate, we can't cover you. Sorry, Alex Honnold. Rock climbing with protection and bouldering are definitely covered, however!
We're not going to tell you to not ride bulls or run with them, but we can't cover you if you get hurt when you're doing it.
Finally, if you're towing in to surf big waves, we have to leave you on your own. You're too rad.
We're working on removing these limitations, so if anything on this list is your passion, please let us know. We'll keep you up to speed and may even reach out to learn a bit from you.
What's next
Right now, we're in the middle of a pandemic, which has both stressed our healthcare system and disrupted our daily lives. Many of us have felt firsthand the effects of this on our health, families, or businesses.
As organized activities ground to a halt, many of our peers took up new activities or ventured out solo, beyond their normal comfort zones. You can see this in the complete lack of bicycle inventory and the number of folks out on the trail systems across the country.
This disruption of a daily routine has brought more folks to the outdoors, and ultimately this may be a silver lining to an otherwise tragic moment. With more firsthand experiences, the outdoor community can grow and evolve to inspire the next generation of adventurers, athletes, and enthusiasts.
We're continuing to expand our coverage and work on new ways to integrate with the tools you already use so that we can be right there with you, providing a little extra protection, because every adventure needs a buddy.
