Show your support for students and their families Learn more about Zurich’s Student Accident Coverage

At the high school basketball semi-finals, the unimaginable happened to 15-year-old guard Jack and his family. While going up for a rebound, he tangled with an opposing player, lost his balance and landed head first on the floor. Jack remembers hearing a cracking sensation in his skull. The game officials called an ambulance, and Jack was diagnosed in the emergency room with a fractured skull, concussion and bleeding in the brain.

In the coming months, Jack experienced severe headaches, dizziness and vomiting, impaired cognitive skills and depression, as he had to give up the sport he loved. In addition, Jack’s parents were faced with mounting medical bills for both medical and psychological treatment.

Sports injuriesSports with the highest frequency for injuries are football, basketball and soccer.7 However, even volleyball players, runners and cheerleaders face costly fractures, concussions or lacerations.

Common areas for sports injuries:

Source: Sports Safety Infographic, Safe Kids Worldwide™, 2013.

More students experiencing injuries at schoolParents do not expect their child to be seriously injured during school-sponsored activities. But the truth is, students are exposed to many risks during school activities — parents, schools and school districts should consider such risks.

These types of injuries may occur frequently during school activities:

• More than 1.35 million children were seen in an emergency department for sports-related injury in 2012.1

• In the same year, there were 163,670 young athletes seen in the emergency department for a concussion, that’s one every three minutes.2

• Emergency department visits for concussions sustained during organized team sports doubled among 8−13 year olds between 1997 and 2007 and nearly tripled among older youth.3

Head: 14%

Face: 7%

Fingers:12%

Knees: 9%

Ankles: 15%

• Between 2001−2008, an average of 218,851 preschool and elementary children received emergency department care for injuries that occurred on playground equipment.4

• Approximately 15 percent of playground equipment injuries were classified as severe, with 3 percent requiring hospitalization.5

• 46 percent of school-related injuries are to those ages 10−14.6

Frequency and length of recovery can drive up costsA trip to the emergency room or urgent care center for sprains, severe bruises and other minor injuries may incur significant costs for a family. More serious orthopedic injuries, such as knee surgery or a broken leg, can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. For a large school district or community organization, statistics like those cited above can mean they could experience a significant number of these injuries each year.

Research shows youth can take a longer time to heal from some injuries than adults. While the elasticity of a child’s muscles can be great for reducing minor injuries, more serious injuries — such as dislocated joints — can occur more easily due to less developed muscles.8 Since students’ bodies are still growing, they are likely to require more doctor visits and physical therapy that can make medical expenses less and less manageable.

A report by the non-profit advocacy group, Safe Kids Worldwide, estimates that more than $935 million each year is spent on sports-related emergency room visits alone.9 That number may be low, as the report did not include data from urgent care centers, doctors’ offices or sports medicine clinics.

Gaps in coverage can affect parents, schools and school districtsEveryone involved in school-sponsored activities — the teachers, coaches, school or community administration, the parents and the students — enjoy the close bond that these pastimes offer. When an accident or injury occurs, recovering emotionally and financially as quickly as possible can contribute to keeping this bond strong.

Accidents can be disruptive and costly for both the parents and the school or school district. For some parents, the increasingly popular high-deductible health plans can put a huge burden on their financial situation if a serious medical condition does happen. To help address this issue, many schools are providing Zurich’s Student Accident Coverage to help offset high deductibles, co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses, even if a parent has primary medical coverage in place.

From the school perspective, its general liability coverage may have no or very limited benefit for medical expenses incurred by students. Zurich’s Student Accident Coverage allows a school to offer a valuable benefit to students’ families, while also protecting itself from lawsuits.

Playground injuriesEven as equipment and materials have been made safer, students are still at risk for playground injuries. The most common playground-related injuries include:

36%

20%

8%

2%

5%

12%

17%

Fractures

Contusions/Abrasions

Lacerations

Strains and sprains

Internal/Organs

Concussions

Other

Source: NEISS Database, 2009

Show your support with student accident coverageAt Zurich, our goal is to understand what both the school and the parents need from student accident coverage: a coverage with high limits, competitive underwriting, and an easy process for submitting and monitoring claims.

Key features of Zurich’s Student Accident Coverage include:

• Customizable plan designs for school-sponsored activities that can include any combination of the following: class-time, interscholastic sports, intramural sports, gym classes, before/after school care, non-sport extra-curricular activities, etc. Coverage can also include instances that occur during travel to and from such activities.

• Coverage for interscholastic sports with or without tackle football, including games, scrimmages, practices and off-season training. Coverage can also extend to heat exhaustion, sprains, strains and other similar injuries.

• Coverage for non-sport extra-curricular activities, such as field trips, camps, before/after school programs, summer and volunteer programs, is also available.

• High limits with a maximum $5 million for accident medical and $10,000 and up for accidental death and dismemberment.

• Cost-saving options, such as varying coinsurance, deductible and medical sub-limit, are available.

• Additional catastrophic coverage options are available and pay an additional high limit benefit if a covered injury results in coma, paralysis or brain death, as well as a health failure benefit.

Zurich is committed to providing fast, responsive claims service to schools and parents when they need it most. Understanding how crucial this is to a sustainable student accident plan, Zurich has teamed with top Third Party Administrators (TPAs) who specialize in claims handling for schools/school districts. The Zurich-approved TPAs are experienced in coordinating and negotiating with medical providers, networks and other insurance providers to make sure claims are handled quickly and appropriately.

Want to learn more about how to offer your students and their families full coverage and support?

Please visit Zurich’s Student Accident Coverage atwww.zurichna.com/studentaccident

1,2 Ferguson, R.W. “Safe Kids Worldwide Analysis of Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC),” National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) data, 2013.

3 Bakhos, L, G. Lockhart and R. Myers. ”Emergency department visits for concussion in young child athletes,” Pediatrics, 2010; 126(3):e550-e556.

4,5 National Program for Playground Safety, http://playgroundsafety.org/research/injuries.

6 Playground Safety, http://www.brainline.org/content/2011/04/playground-safety.html.

7, 9 Hansen, Lindsay. “Game Changers in Sports Safety,” Safe Kids Worldwide, August 5, 2013 http://www.safekids.org/blog/game-changers-sports-safety.

8 Cronin, Keith J. “Child’s Ability To Heal Quickly From Sports Injuries: A Mixed Blessing?”, http://www.momsteam.com/health-safety/childs-ability-heal-quickly-from-sports-injuries-mixed-blessing.

Zurich American Insurance Company1400 American Lane, Schaumburg, IL 60196-1056800 382 2150 www.zurichna.com

This is intended as a general description of certain types of insurance and services available to qualified customers through the companies of Zurich in North America, provided solely for informational purposes. Nothing herein should be construed as a solicitation, offer, advice, recommendation, or any other service with regard to any type of insurance product underwritten by individual member companies of Zurich in North America, including Zurich American Insurance Company, 1400 American Lane, Schaumburg, IL 60196, 1-800-382-2150, NAIC # 16535, domiciled in New York, licensed in all states. Your policy is the contract that specifically and fully describes your coverage, terms and conditions. The description of the policy provisions gives a broad overview of coverages and does not revise or amend the policy. Coverages and rates are subject to individual insured meeting our underwriting qualifications and product availability in applicable states. Insurance underwritten by Zurich American Insurance Company, 1400 American Lane, Schaumburg, Illinois 60196.

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The Zurich difference:• Leader in the student accident market

— currently covering over 5,000 schools across the U.S., including public, private and charter schools from day care/preschool age through college

• Highly flexible plans that can cater to a school’s specific needs

• Valued relationships with strategic Third Party Administrators who are experienced in student accident claims handling

• Access to local underwriting specialists who provide experienced market knowledge specific to student accident insurance

• Consultative approach through on-going collaboration with schools’ appointed brokers in offering analysis of claims trends, risk mitigation and recommended practices to promote safety during school activities and prepare schools for responding to injuries

• Knowledgeable, insurance provider with more than 100 years of experience in the U.S.