X-Message-Number: 14909
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2000 11:28:57 -0700
From: Linda Chamberlain <>
Subject: Alcor Policy

Two questions regarding Alcor policy: 



1.  Reliability of foreign insurance companies:  There seems to be a
misunderstanding that Alcor considers foreign insurance to be unsafe or
inadequate.  This is not the case.   Alcor does not consider American
insurance
companies to be any better, or worse as a whole, than insurance companies in
other countries.  The variations within a given country vary more, most
probably, than the variations from country to country.  

The real issue is one of Alcor s ability to verify the funding during an
emergency.  Using insurance to fund biostasis is quite different from using
insurance to provide funds for family members after one s death  the family
has
not expended $35,000.00 in an emergency response that needs to be reimbursed. 
When biostasis services are needed, Alcor must respond with an emergency
rescue
operation immediately.  Alcor cannot wait two months, or even two weeks, or
even two days to see if the insurance will indeed pay off in the full amount
that was originally provided to cover the costs of biostasis and the long term
care. 

It is difficult to summarize (to those not involved in the management of
membership issues and rescue operation issues, ie, those without a context
within which to understand the complexities involved) the problems and
difficulties, or to communicate how critical solutions to these problems are. 
These problems affect Alcor s long-term stability, the safety of our patients,
and our ability to be there to provide biostasis services to members who are
counting on us to save their lives in the future.   

Unfortunately, it is never possible  without unlimited resources - to serve
all
needs equally, because there are conflicts between the needs of different
individuals. In any conflict between the needs of our biostasis patients and
living members or potential members, Alcor now has a firm Board Resolution
that
the needs of patients in biostasis must come first.  Unfortunately, patients
have been thawed in the past  not Alcor patients  due in part to the lack of
sufficiently strong funding mechanisms used by other organizations, most of
which are not longer viable.  Most will agree that this type of historical
black eye punctuates the wisdom of Alcor s commitment to place the safety of
our patients as our highest concern. 

Alcor s attempt to find solutions to the funding problems associated with
using
life insurance (both foreign and domestic insurance companies) has involved
insurance specialists and attorneys and has taken considerable attention and
resources for over a year.  

One issue (to illustrate the problem) is that insurance laws vary from
state to
state (province to province) in most countries, complicating solution finding
beyond words. Figuring out how to "gain access to information about any given
member's insurance policy- to verify that funding is still in place" is
difficult even in this country, where we have some understanding of the legal
system and how to work with it. But in other countries, we have to deal with
laws that differ dramatically. Complicate that by the fact that vocabulary
(even English speaking countries define important legal words differently)
that
you think you understand may actually mean something very different. We read a
document and interpret it with our American definitions, but the
definitions in
the country where the policy was written may be entirely different. We make
judgements on incorrect assumptions without even knowing it!

Dealing with such problems requires costly consulting from insurance experts
and attorneys, a cost that is not covered by the current funding situation.  
It has been suggested that Alcor simply put such problems into the laps of our
members. Unfortunately, people will tell you anything that will serve their
purposes, even if it is shortsighted - Alcor has already experienced this too
many times. Alcor is responsible for making the decisions that will provide
safety for our patients.  We cannot leave these details up to others.

The bottom line is this:  Alcor is committed to the long-term safety of our
biostasis patients, even if it means that we cannot make our services as
convenient or as cheap as some potential members would like.  

2.  Difficulties with providing equivalent services outside the US: 

We have been asked why, since Alcor has on several occasions in the past been
able to place foreign members into biostasis, it continues to take the
position
that such operations will undoubtedly be compromised.  

The comparatively simple procedures of the past were carried out as well as
could have been expected under the compromise that distance imposes. But with
the rapidly advancing technologies that require far more sophisticated
protocols, materials, equipment, and highly trained personnel, it will become
increasingly less possible to give equal service outside the US. 

This ever widening gap makes Alcor management mindful of the need to disclose
this to individuals who do not live in America, a difficult task even with
people who speak English (much less those who speak another language). Unless
and until there is a market for biostasis that is sufficiently large to
finance
Alcor's operations on the level of a Mayo Clinic rather than a volunteer fire
department, Alcor's ability to offer services outside a given radius (one that
is not fixed, and will fluxuate with the times) will continue to be limited. 







Linda Chamberlain ()
Executive Director / Membership Administrator


Alcor Life Extension Foundation
Non-profit cryotransport services since 1972.
7895 E. Acoma Dr., Suite 110, Scottsdale AZ 85260-6916
Membership Information: (877) GO-ALCOR (462-5267)
Phone (480) 905-1906 x 113   FAX (480) 922-9027
 for general requests

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