I am going to check with my insurance tomorrow to see if he is covered. He doesn't make much money and coming up with 5 thousand won't be easy for him. He actually works for his dad and that is just the policy they have. Generally the higher your out of pocket the lower the premium. I worked in health insurance for many years before becoming a prison guard so I am pretty familiar with the system. I think our system is good. But everything for everybody can't be covered without somebody having to pay. If the insurance companies are going to pay somebody has to pay them. They aren't in it to lose money.
My buddy is already talking about kneeboarding until his foot is better. I suggested a wake skate so he doesn't have to use binding for a while.