X-Message-Number: 9046 Date: Sat, 24 Jan 1998 01:22:47 -0500 From: "Stephen W. Bridge" <> Subject: Questions from the Edge To CryoNet From Steve Bridge Chairman of the Board Alcor Life Extension Foundation January 24, 1998 In reply to: Message #9039 From: "TheEdge" <> Subject: Intro and serious yet humorous questions Date: Wed, 21 Jan 1998 22:07:49 -0000 Dear The, >What if something happens to a client's trustfund/investments, etc. that >pay the fees to remain suspended? Does the company let them thaw out >somewhere and dispose of the body? Most organizations, including Alcor, require that the full amount required for long-term storage be available very soon after the suspension. Alcor requires a *guarantee* that this funding is in place before a person will be confirmed as a suspension member. So the funds are totally in Alcor's care, not in the care of outsiders. These funds are administered by the Alcor Patient Care Trust Board, not the Board of Directors. The Trust Board are all Alcor Members, three of who must be related to patients in suspension. For a $120,000 whole body suspension, approximately $75,000 is invested to provide the income for long-term care. The Trust funds are NOT divided according to patient; they are pooled. No is thawed unless everyone is thawed. This is very unlikely. We do not accept monthly payments, even if from a trust. -Can a life insurance policy be taken out with the client as his/her own beneficiary, receiving the benefits himself/herself upon their death, and then using them to pay for cryonic upkeep or as funds at his/her disposal upon "awakening" from cryonic sleep? No, you cannot be the beneficiary of your own life insurance, as you will be legally DEAD. Your ESTATE or a TRUST could be the beneficiary; but Alcor will not accept that. In general Alcor must be the beneficiary of the policy; although I could see situations where a properly set up trust could be the beneficiary with the provision in the trust that the full payment be *immediately* passed through to Alcor. -What happens to all the clients if a company goes out of business? In general, I think we can count on other groups to provide emergency rescues where possible. Many of those in suspension at other organizations were friends of ours, too. Besides, the general principles of cryonics demand that we do whatever we can to rescue these people, should such an emergency happen. Realistically, we must consider the worst-case scenario where no rescuer is on the horizon. It is possible that such patients could be thawed and buried by the state health department; but Arizona officials told me that *no one* in the department of health would look forward to that. I suspect even they will want to help find rescuers, especially after cryonics gets larger. Steve Bridge Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=9046