By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
To cover medical expenses in case an athlete gets injured, Barton Community College purchases athletic insurance each year. The athletic insurance has been fairly stable the last few years, but that is changing for the 2024-2025 season.
Working on a three-year cycle with insurance companies, claims were higher the past two years at the college. Barton Vice President of Administration Mark Dean said the lowest bid will bring a $40,000 increase from the year prior.
"If you look at the three-year track record and you jump back, last year also included COVID years," said Dean. "Those were years we did not have a whole lot of athletics going on at that time. That's part of why we saw low claims."
The Barton Board of Trustees approved the low bid from Great American Insurance for $102,561, a jump from $62,000 this past year. The bid includes athletic coverage and catastrophic coverage.
"Athletic insurance covers up to $25,000 worth of claims," said Dean. "Above $25,000 is where catastrophic takes in. It goes from $25,000 on up. I believe the catastrophic goes up to $5 million after that."
The catastrophic coverage will insure the student athlete with ongoing medical expenses 10 years after the student has left Barton.