Why doesn't the UFC offer health insurance?

[Kalmah]

That's true.

Idk what can be done for spencer. The least dana can do is give some below the table bonuses or something.

What, the 5K/month for 5 years after he stopped working for them wasn't enough?

 

[johnmangala]

What, the 5K/month for 5 years after he stopped working for them wasn't enough?

I guess all his Bill's stopped too. He has dementia at 44 now and his wife quit her job to take care of him.

 

[Kalmah]

I guess all his Bill's stopped too. He has dementia at 44 now and his wife quit her job to take care of him.

Well that's too bad then I guess. The UFC has no legal or moral obligation to pay his bills.

Besides, even if they did for how long should they? A year? 5? 10? The rest of his life? Completely unrealistic.

 

[D 1 Wrestler]

The NFL pension plan was funded at 55.9 percent in April 2014. This is a low funding ratio, but there’s a good reason for it. Following the lock-out in 2011 and the negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the NFL Players’ Association fought for an increase in pension benefits for retired players. This took the plan down to a funded status of 48 percent in 2013, but the NFL has agreed to commit $620 million over ten years to reach full funding by 2021. The latest available data indicates the plan is funded at 89 percent as of 2018.

The NFL is not the only professional sports league with a defined benefit pension plan for its retired players. MLB, the NBA, and the NHL all offer pension plans to players. Baseball’s is the oldest with its plan existing since 1947; it is also consistently well-funded at 80 percent. The NHL’s is the newest, started in 2012, and also extremely well-funded at 144 percent. Finally, the NBA’s pension plan is funded at 53 percent and NBA teams are contributing more to bring the funded status up to 80 percent.

NBA players have one of the most generous pension plans out of all professional sports. They are vested into their pension plans after playing at least three seasons in the league. The average benefit in 2016 for a player who retires at the age of 50 is $38,000 per year—not a bad retirement for a three-year career.1 A 10 year veteran can gross $102,000.

But that's not all. NBA players are also eligible to participate in a league-sponsored 401(k). Do you think your 401(k) plan is good with a 50% matching policy? The NBA matches a player's contributions up to 140%.

The NFL could stand for "Not For Long," with the average career lasting only three years.4 But that's just enough time to qualify for the league's pension plan. The league's plan is based on years of service in the league. A player with a minimum of three years of play reportedly receives an annual pension check of $21,360 at retirement. On average, retired players receive an annual pension check of about $43,000 in 2014.

Players who retired in the 1980s and 1990s reportedly receive anywhere from $3,000 to $5,640 per month for every season played in the NFL. Newly retired players since 1998 receive $5,640 each month for every year of service. Players with 3 years of service receive an additional retirement bonus in the form of an annuity.

Players are eligible to receive their full benefits at the age of 55.5 While the pension plan is much worse than other sports, the NFL does offer a generous 401(k) plan. The league matches every player's contribution by as much as 200%.

Major League Baseball has the best pension program of all professional sports. A big-league player needs a short amount of time—just 43 days of service—to qualify for a pension benefit. Forty-three days of service can guarantee an MLB player almost $9,000 per year pension benefit. One day on an active roster qualifies a player for full comprehensive medical benefits.

Major league baseball players become fully vested in their pensions after one day of service if they retired after April 1, 1980. It is not uncommon for retired baseball players with over 10 years of service to receive over $100,000 annually upon reaching the age of 62. Baseball has the most well-funded pension program with estimates valuing the plan at over 2 billion dollars.

NHL players can start withdrawing their pension benefits at the age of 45, and become fully vested as soon as they play at least 20 games. NHL pensions require that a player be active for at least 800 games to qualify for the maximum pension benefit. Players with less than 800 games of service receive a prorated amount, and players with 800 games or more of service receive the maximum pension under U.S. law, which in 2020 is $285,000 annually.

Pension is not healthcare. I posted a link previously that healthcare covered for former players was specifically left off 2020 CBA talks because no provider would give them a quote as there is too much risk to the insurer

 

[RampageFaction]

They do. UFC pays for all fight related injuries

“Houston insurance agency HCC Insurance Holdings has been contracted to provide the coverage. The policy, which goes into effect June 1, 2011, is the first of its kind that covers a large group of combat athletes and is the first for Zuffa.”

“The policy also covers dental and life insurance for the fighters as long as they are under contract—also at no cost to the athletes. Overall, the policy covers doctor services, laboratory tests, emergency medical evacuation and physical therapy”



Details in article below
https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndic...ghters-and-how-it-furthers-the-sport.amp.html

Are you sure about that? I remember the ufc being panned shortly after that article because it’s not true health insurance. It’s injury insurance. You cannot offer an independent contractor health insurance. Only employees can have health insurance. Sorry if someone has already pointed this out.


https://cmonnow.substack.com/p/dana-white-makes-a-claim-about-ufc

 

[johnmangala]

You mean cover the medical of hundreds of athletes that aren’t with the company for the rest of their lives.

A)Likely bankrupt them
B) They aren’t legally liable every fighter signs a waiver saying they know the risks before entering the cage

Well that's too bad then I guess. The UFC has no legal or moral obligation to pay his bills.

Besides, even if they did for how long should they? A year? 5? 10? The rest of his life? Completely unrealistic.

Pension is not healthcare. I posted a link previously that healthcare covered for former players was specifically left off 2020 CBA talks because no provider would give them a quote as there is too much risk to the insurer

What do you think about pensions for them? I realize they are independent contractors... but if they become unionized.

 

[D 1 Wrestler]

What do you think about pensions for them? I realize they are independent contractors... but if they become unionized.

Huge if that's been discussed for the past two decades with no action

 

[You Will Vote For Dreyga]

What do you think about pensions for them? I realize they are independent contractors... but if they become unionized.

I love the idea.

A pension could work preferably if it was something done by a large management team like Dominance or a through a union.

It could be through the UFC but that makes things complicated of fighter’s want to go to a different company.

There would have to be some kind of minimum number of fights ( like 20ish UFC fights) you would have to do with the UFC in order to qualify. And I’m not sure if the company could force independent contractors to contribute.

The legal stuff is over my head. My guess is union and minimum number of UFC fights would be a must.

 

[superpunch]

Apparently the NFL and NBA offer health insurance and what not.

Why not the UFC? Just as dangerous if not more.

This Spencer Fisher case is heartbreaking, health insurance would've helped people like him and the people that are gonna become like him soon.

Should Dana have to pay for their childcare and mortgages too? That's not the UFC's responsibility.. it's their government's. American healthcare costs are so bloated that it's not fair to place that burden on companies. It's absolutely the government's responsibility.

 

[superpunch]

FIghters need health insurance for life. This job takes it's toll on the fighters when their fighting careers are over. The health bills don't stop.

So you should make your politicians do something about that.. it's not a problem in any other developed country. just your's. LMAO at blaming your shitty healthcare system on of all people the UFC.

 

[realdmone1]

only a fighter would care about a topic this lame. so which 1 are you?

 

[superpunch]

This wouldn't be fair for foreign fighters. And the UFC has a LOT of foreign fighters on their roster. They already get health coverage from their governments, and the money for covering Americans would indirectly come out of their paychecks.. American fighters should have to pay for their own health coverage.

 

[snackgod]

Isn't that illegal? I mean, there is or was a big deal about "preexisting conditions."

But there are indeed issues. Insurance companies are afraid to deal with the NFL, as well as hockey and soccer, due to CTE. They are afraid to be stuck with huge costs in case CTE or something else blows up.
"Last spring, the Maricopa County Community Colleges in Arizona, citing costs and potential liability, announced that they were eliminating football at four schools, including a three-time junior college national champion. A task force concluded that the teams, consisting of 358 players, accounted for nearly one-third of all insurance costs for the district's 200,000 students."
https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/nfl-football-threat-evaporating-insurance-market/story?id=60446104

the point is this isnt a ufc/mma problem. the nba fought for years in court wit ha hand full of living players who played before 1960. for some reason there was a deal made with the players union that was only for players who played after 1960. there was no reason for that. it was liek 25 people who were asking for help an the nba fought.

sure it sucks that boxers oir mma fighters or nhl or nfl players get major head problems.

this will now turn in to the people who hatedana white and the ufc to say how can you do a fighter liek that. notice they dont say the same things towad scott coker or a boxing company. just dana white.

when you sign up to be a boxer or wwe wrestler or mma fighter or a nfl player you know what you are signing up for. it might sounds mean but it still thetruth.