Iowa providing concussion insurance to high school athletes

Iowa has become the seventh state to provide concussion insurance to all athletes who participate in state-sanctioned sports.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) and its title sponsor, the Iowa Farm Bureau, have secured the HeadStrong Concussion Insurance program for the 2018-19 school year. HeadStrong provides “first-dollar” insurance coverage for all students in grades nine through 12 participating in the practice or play of interscholastic sports sanctioned by the IHSAA. That includes baseball, basketball, bowling, cheerleading (non-competition), cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and wrestling.

HeadStrong was developed to insure student-athletes from the high cost of concussion treatment and potential neurological follow-up. It provides student-athletes with $0 deductible and $0 co-pay coverage for concussion assessment and treatment, and serves as a secondary or excess policy to other primary and collectable insurance. It will become the primary payor if no other insurance is available.

The Iowa Farm Bureau is sponsoring the premium expense for every IHSAA participant in the program. Coverage will run from August 1, 2018 to August 1, 2019.  The insurance carrier for this policy is Nationwide Life Insurance Company, with K&K Insurance serving as a third-party administrator.

The IHSAA joins Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin and Wyoming in providing concussion insurance for all athletes.

Click here to learn more about Iowa’s program.