MedicAlert has changed since I joined. They've kept their older members on an old arrangement. I never paid for anything except the cost of the bracelet, and since then I've paid only for updates to the information only.

There's a collect-call number on my bracelet. If someone calls it, they will have access to my doctor's name and number and some information about what medicines I'm taking.

I looked at their Website. Looks like an adult "membership" ("essential") would cost $30 for 3 years--and I think you'd pay extra for the bracelet or pendant or whatever form of ID you wanted to have.

I found a bracelet on there that is like the one I've had for years, and it's $10.

We're a bit different in Canada.
We purchase the bracelet and/or pendant The style and what it is made of determines the price. The cheapest is around $ 15.00, but you can have it gold for up to $ 300.00.

Engraved on it is your name, allergies, meds and medical conditions. If it won't all fit on there, they will engrave "card in wallet", which has further info, and/or, we can have our "personal health plan number" (PHN) engraved on it. That's what I have.

The PHN gives any Canadian medical facility access to most of your medical information including physicians, prescriptions, test results, specialist reports, viewable X-rays, MRIs and CAT scans etc, as anything that our physicians have written about us, and/or billed our health plans for, is logged into computer data bases for each province.

For out of the country emergencies, the medical facility can contact the health plan of the home province of the patient, receive a secure log-in code, and obtain the info.

I ordered a new neck pendant as well as a bracelet and paid $86.00 for everything, including shipping.

With love, Erika

It was more expensive when I was looking, a gold bracelet was over $1200.00. And the yearly costs were higher. I wonder if is costs more now since more people carry electronic devices that can store their information?

Yes, I think that if you get the whole bracelet in gold it would be more like that price. $ 300.00 was just for the pendant...it would be extra for a gold chain to go with it.

Mine doesn't have a plan or membership fee.

With love, Erika

yes, for me they call it an annual membership fee to keep your info.
they update it for free. once you have a bracelet you really don't have to buy more. and, it something changes you can just have the info part changed without having to buy another bracelet.

I think it's great that you can put on there a number to call. I wonder how that works with the HIPAA laws though. I mean, how is your information protected. If someone came got the information off of my medical alert bracelet or necklace, would they be able to call and get my information?

I should correct my earlier post. It's not an 800 number that is on my MedicAlert bracelet. It's a "call collect" number, and presumably the caller's number and location would come up on MedicAlert's caller ID system.

When I first got the bracelet, this notice came along with it: "Medic Alert Foundation's emergency telephone number 209-634-4917 has been engraved on your emblem. Records are filed by serial number. Collect phone calls will be accepted from qualified persons in an emergency."

They check to see if the person calling is "qualified."

My son's name and phone number are also on my record.

What is Cinderella protocol? I'm dying to find out because I love ED slang and haven't heard that one yet.

For me, unless the Cinderella protocol is something hideous, I'm not going to worry about getting a medic alert bracelet just for MS.

I'd welcome a CT scan or xrays if I'm in a state of altered conscious, paralysis or uneven pupils from MS. And in my experience if they thought I was a drug OD they would run labs before just doing something and heck a benzo drip doesn't sound all that bad to me even if I'm not at risk of benzo or ETOH withdrawal.

Truth is if a Heimlich maneuver won't fix what ails me please just let me croak. MS is enough I have no desire to deal with another diagnosis and whatever treatment might go along.

Jules--haha!
My medic alert bracelet (sterling silver) just says my name, Porphyria, and "Penicillin OK".
if I were unconscious, and they didn't know I had porphyria, that could subject me to a myriad of harmful drugs. If they wanted to give me an antibiotic, Penicillin would be best, as the others would increase neuro symptoms (spasticity, etc.). They will look up drugs in the Physician's Drug Reference if they are warned about Porphyria.

I have never been unconscious on my many trips to the ER, and I indeed have had to do some big time explanations, but fortunately I could talk at all events. If I could not talk,
the bracelet would help me avoid the worst. But I have never seen an ER tech take a look at it. Maybe because the ER people know me, here, and know my records are local.

So the bracelet would be a much bigger help if I were not in town.

I am glad to report I have not been in the ER for several years. No a-fib, the most likely cause, completely controlled by Propanalol and probably by treatments (phlebotomy) for Polycythemia Vera. The last big ER event was shingles in 2008. I was there for 3 visits, completely unable to walk because the lesions went from hip to toe. No one diagnosed it (maybe lesions were not yet out) until the old ER doc got one look at it. The others asked "why do you have a hot red leg?" And I had to admit I didn't have any idea why I had a hot red leg.

A Cinderella protocol is when the ER staff and doctors become your 'evil step mother'. They assume that you are delusional and may confine you, restrain you, drug you, not believe you, and won't allow visitors. Ultimately you are generally headed for a stint in the psych ward.

With love, Erika