IF HE PLAYS, YOU PAY

Johnny is a high school football player in Dallas. On Friday night, Johnny tears ligaments in his knee. On Saturday morning, Johnny’s Mom and Dad have doctor bills they never expected. They are upset.

Each year, the DISD sends medical release forms to all parents of student athletes, explaining the DISD’s injury insurance policy. “A lot of parents just don’t read it,” says DISD trainer Eddie Lane. “So a lot of them are surprised to find out the schools don’t pay all the doctor bills.”

Here’s how it works. The district takes bids every year for a group policy to cover athletic injuries. The insurance people aren’t exactly beating down the training room doors to get the action – for the past three years, only Blue Cross-Blue Shield has made a bid. This year a $70,000 policy covers some 12,000 student athletes. The hitch is that this policy is only supplemental to the insurance of the parents of the injured student. In other words, the folks pay first. Only if the parents have no hospitalization insurance and can’t afford to pay the bills does DISD coverage go into effect.

The Fort Worth schools, instead of insurance, have an annual “injury budget.” But again, it’s a “parents first” situation. Last year the score was Fort Worth School District $20,000, Parents $35,000.

So, play at your own risk. But don’t feel cheated. Many Texas school districts, amazingly, have no injury insurance whatsoever.