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January 16, 2009

Sometimes I actually agree with the NY Times

In The Costs of Negligence, The New York Times Editorial Board applauds New Hampshire for billing those who venture outdoors and get lost through their own negligence. It replaced an earlier higher standard of reckless to be billed for your rescue. This is very reasonable. Though I can't seem to dig it up now, it is widely believed that the sorts of people who venture into these wilderness areas (and therefore are more likely to get lost) are affluent folks with time for long vacations requiring expensive equipment. So if people can afford to pay for their own rescue, they surely should. That can be a separate issue from the poor or hapless who manage to get lost and can't afford a rescue. As I've said before in the health care arena, your life is precious, and there isn't anything wrong with making protecting it expensive. We can make it expensive but affordable by having a sliding cost scale.

Alternatively, but perhaps not as cleanly, we could have higher park fees for wilderness permits and build into it the cost of rescue insurance. That would probably encourage more people to take wilderness risks, but at least we could raise the money required for rescues from the people taking the risks, regardless of income.

Posted by OneEyedMan at January 16, 2009 9:49 AM

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