STEVENS POINT, Wis. – For the past two years, every high school and junior high school student-athlete in Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association member schools have been covered by concussion insurance.

In the first two years of the coverage, the policy has handled 443 claims that has paid out over $212,000 since its inception in 2017-18.

The WIAA purchased the policy for all of its student-athletes, approximately 80,000 annually, providing them with zero out-of-pocket costs for concussion medical costs. The HeadStrong Concussion Insurance Program was developed by Dissinger Reed Insurance. It covers every student-athlete in grades 6-12 while participating in any practice or game sanctioned by the WIAA at a WIAA member school.

For any claim, the participant’s insurance would first be billed and then the HeadStrong Insurance would act as secondary insurance and assist with unpaid deductibles or co-pays. The maximum benefit is $25,000 per injury, and there is no deductible per claim.

The WIAA, which has been at the forefront of addressing the concussion issue, was the fourth state to provide this coverage for all student-athletes. In other recent concussion-related news, the American Journal of Sports Medicine recently published a study by Dr. Tim McGuine and colleagues. The study revealed the rate of sport-related concussions during high school football practice in Wisconsin decreased by 57 percent following a 2014 WIAA rule change limiting the amount and duration of full-contact activities during practice.

# WIAA #