X-Message-Number: 16240
Date: Wed, 9 May 2001 10:04:10 -0400
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: more on Alcor's "foreign members"

Hi everyone!

Here is another thought for consideration by Alcor. As I said before,
their present policy is likely to lose them members. (After all, it's
hardly enough to keep those who live overseas merely to tell them
that the policy applies only to future members. Who wants to remain
a member of a tiny society when every other cryonicist in your 
country has joined another, larger society?).

Suggestion: find a life insurance company which will accept applications
from overseas DONE WITHOUT THE APPLICANT COMING TO THE UNITED STATES.
This is far from as incredible as it might seem, since (to discuss
Australia alone) there are a number of life insurance companies here
which are basically branches of foreign life insurance companies.
Australia has doctors to give the required examinations and all the
other things needed. For instance, I've noticed that the company which
underwrites my Disability Policy has a branch right here in Australia;
it also provides life insurance.

I am sufficiently interested in this possibility that I will volunteer
to do the needed investigations in Australia IF Alcor will consent to
such a thing. Obviously I do not intend to put out that work purely
on spec.

I will also say that insurance is only one part of what is needed. We
also need transport means which will help get someone from here to
the US at any of the various stages they might end up in (alive but
very sick, or already deanimated, or possibly somewhere in between).
However if insurance cannot be arranged then nothing else will matter.
Or put another way, if we can get funding then the other problems
become problems worth working on.

AS a matter of pure psychology, it would probably also help if the
Chamberlains were to do a bit of travel to Europe or Australia,
but that may be too much to ask. Some of the problems they allude 
to just don't seem to me any more real for good foreign 
insurance companies than for good US insurance companies. A bit
more acquaintance with foreign countries might help.

		Best wishes and long long life for all,

			Thomas Donaldson

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