When wealthy adventurers take huge risks, who should foot the bill for rescue attempts?

Not only the super rich but ordinary people should either have insurance or face a life of poverty. This may help them to make better decisions.

When wealthy adventurers take huge risks, who should foot the bill for rescue attempts?

The working public of course?

The single mother forced by the recent Republican "workfare" requirements to find a precarious service job and day care for her children .

The gig worker trying to pay off student loans.

The copywriter whose job is threatened by automation.

Their taxes feed the military/industrial/logistic infrastructure to underwrite many frivolous billionaire risk.

That is how socialism for the rich works.

Under the sea, lawsuit are next

The working public of course?

The single mother forced by the recent Republican "workfare" requirements to find a precarious service job and day care for her children . 

The gig worker trying to pay off student loans. 

The copywriter whose job is threatened by automation. 

Their taxes feed the military/industrial/logistic infrastructure to underwrite many frivolous billionaire risk

Easy, any company that has the money and resources to do so.

When planes go down, there is a pressing need to get to the wreckage and the black boxes to determine whether there is a fault in other planes of the same model. This overrides cost concerns. At sea, traditional rules kick in for mariners to help out - because it could as easily be you. In general, people have insurance for risky endeavours.

International tourists should have travel insurance that covers risky activities. Domestic tourists, taxpayers in that country, shouldn't be charged. For rescues in international waters, the endeavor itself should be insured. I'm thinking cruise ships, personal craft etc. If some rich billionaire gets stranded in space, leave them there.

Reminds me of Everest. Something like 95%+ of the climbers are well to do/rich and rely increasingly on the local Sherpa population to get their lazy untrained butts up the mountain. When one of them dies or goes missing it’s national news but if one of the guides dies we never hear of it hence the calls to stop allowing it. Sadly the region is so dang reliant on these rich morons now it won’t stop.

Leave rich people alone. They are only 1% of the population but own 99%. They have the right to do what they want. I have no money, but I don’t judge others who like private jets, yachts, $5000 hookers, coke, caviar and truffles, cigars. They are losers. I wake up to the sunrise and birds chirping, eat my own vegetables, play the piano at sunset with an amazing view. They can live their fake lives. Their choice. Botox.

Leave rich people alone. They are only 1% of the population but own 99%. They have the right to do what they want. I have no money, but I don’t judge others who like private jets, yachts, $5000 hookers, coke, caviar and truffles, cigars. They are losers. I wake up to the sunrise and birds chirping, eat my own vegetables, play the piano at sunset with an amazing view. They can live their fake lives. Their choice. Botox.

Yes, they do have that right, as you have the right to live your idyllic lifestyle. They don't have the right to expect other people to pay to save them when their dangerous, risky adventures go wrong, and they need multimillion-dollar rescue operations. They are just lucky that, in many cases, that's exactly what happens.

We have a moral obligation obviously to go and rescue people, whether in bushfires, cyclones or at sea.

It was disappointing, but not surprising, that some of these wealthy adventurers did not give a small part of their wealth back to the agencies, to help others.

The wealthy should pay some kind of insurance, just like doctors do in case they make a mistake . . . malpractice insurance.

These rich adrenaline junkies need to buy the same thing, except it would be malpractice insurance for adrenaline junkies.

At the same time, this tragedy did provide a rare and useful opportunity in how to react and what to do for this particular kind of situation.

I'm guessing at this point the most money goes to rescuing the average Joe from a flood or fire. But it is an interesting questions for the future when things like deep sea expeditions and space expeditions get within reach of more than just the rich.

If these mega rich people can afford the $250,000 price for a ride like this, they should be forced to pay at least the same amount....or more, to cover any catastrophe, And if they refuse, then no ride...simples. And from a personal point of view, I would rather spend a night and day on Ilha da Queimada Grande, Snake Island, Brazil. And the danger on the island comes in the form of the golden lancehead pit vipers – one of the deadliest snakes in the world. There are said to be between 2 to 4 thousand on it, they are nearly 2 m long and one bite can kill within an hour. So I would rather take my chances there than in one of those submarines.

Well, they have mostly also contributed with taxes much over average, money that is then used also for the poorest or average people to rescue them if something happens, something most people couldn’t afford too, if no mega taxes from companies and super riches would flow in. So it’s surely not appropriate to demand that they have to pay fully for it, or the heirs. To make it short, they should get the half paid from society and pay the other half for themselves or the heirs out of heritage respectively. That’s something maybe all sides can stand and a compromise to live with.

Helicopter rescue for my partners lost friend in Kyoto cost $20,000 for her. How much did this rescue attempt for many days cost? I can’t find the price on the internet, but it is probably in several millions.

All high-risk activities include risk acceptance waivers. These people certainly signed a legal document saying the activity was high risk and that they might die. Actually, I bet nearly those exact terms are in the contract. I've signed a few of those myself. Usually, things are fine, but ... on a bad day.

When I'm traveling and doing high risk activities, I carry extra insurance to cover medivac needs, even when those are known NOT to be possible in the remote locations.

The superwealthly would "self-insure", since paying as they go is easier. There are medical practices who don't accept any insurance at all in the USA. They are cash-only practices and their schedules are completely filled.

The US Govt rescue efforts are part of US resident taxes. The wealth, or lack thereof, of people involved never factors into the efforts.

But I didn't follow this story much beyond knowing people doing something I'd never do were in trouble or dead already. It was their choice to take the risk. They have paid for those choices.

Some people see this as a frivolous, dangerous, activity. Flying on an aeroplane used to be seen the same.