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. 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