I think everything everyone is writing on this subject is so important. I love your son's quote. Very inspirational attitude. Thanks for sharing. Bracelets and necklaces to med alert are great but your best bet is to ALSO adhere a label on your insurance card...they dig for that at the hospital and in the EMS ambulance. For kids old enough to have a wallet put one in it. For younger children when you are not with them give it to the care giver or relative they are with and have them place it on top of their insurance card so if both are injured they will find your child's.

If any of you have drug allergies...I'd put them on your insurance card also.

Reasonable advice, except that nowadays a lot of the insurance cards are plastic or laminated, and also covered front and back with info... but a good idea, none-the-less . . . what I would suggest is, rather than trying to fit all the info on the insurance card, just register with Medic Alert, and put "CALL MEDIC ALERT" and their # (1-800-625-3780) on the card. Then everyone will know to contact them before doing anything that could affect an allergy or medical condition. This is also helpful because, if someone goes to an emergency room, it might be a different hospital system than your records are in, and they will not have your history on file. Also, does everyone know to program their emergency contact # on their cell phone as "ICE"? It means "In Case of Emergency", and police and paramedics look for it. Also program in your doctors' numbers! Lois

Lois et al,

Good advice! I take a lot of medications, one of which could have lethal results if I were without it for more than a few hours. So I keep a list of all my medications and dosing schedules in tiny print in my wallet next to my health insurance card. There is a note appended about the medication I absolutely cannot be without. The larger-print version is attached to my refrigerator and inside my medicine cabinet.

Anne H.

Hi Lois,

Medic Alert is probably one of the best. I respect you voice 100 percent. However, many people don't have the money to pay for that Medic Alert service. It cost alot, monthly and yearly. Maybe not alot when you think of saving a life, however, I gave advice for those who might not be able to afford that service. So, I will say again... Put your information on your insurance card. EMS, hospitals dig into your wallets, pockets for your insurance card. They are programmed to do that, because they want to guarantee payment if they can and make that 24 hour deadline call for payment from your insurance company. EMS people want to be paid, just like the emergency room hospital. Also, specialist doctor's can be called in too and they want to know they will be paid. I know we are to think that you get the best care no matter what. I don't buy that. I think you get the best care if they the hospital, EMS and whomever is involved in your life saving effort sees the $$$ from your insurance company. This statement has nothing to do with who is President now, was and will be...it is a fact. The EMS, emergency room hospital and any specialist called in wants your insurance. Sad..but that is the bottom line. So, putting any data on your insurance card gives them the information in their face. I have not seen a paper insurance card in years so I think you can put a label on the insurance card somewhere to send your Warning.

You all are the best.

Hi McBoarder - Medic Alert is relatively inexpensive, and they have bracelets, necklaces, keyrings and such that start at about $9 - but, they are also a charity organization, and therefore will donate their service and alert medallions to folks who need them but can't afford them. I agree that anything you can do to alert medical personnel is wise to do - it's never 'too much'- but I will tell you that if there is a true emergency, not all EMT's will rummage through a wallet for an insurance card. Can you just imagine the lawsuit that would result from the statement "Well, he died because I was trying to confirm his coverage and medical group"? (I assure you the deceased's lawyer would present the insurance card as an insurance card, and confirm an added label attached to it by its owner, as an unofficial and "unexpected" addition to the card - and the judge and jury would agree... It is not a customary use of insurance cards. It's still a great idea - but only in conjunction with more standardized and predictable resources. I think Anne also mentioned having a list of her medications on a slip of paper in her wallet - if you can write very small, an index card, folded or cut, holds a LOT of info - illnesses, meds, allergies, family and physician contact numbers, etc. Lois