Do you carry health insurance info while riding?

[PscyclePath]

I carry my wallet in my left jersey pocket, and also a wrist RoadID with my emergency contact info and my medical insurance provider & member number.

A couple of months ago I did a traffic skills class for the regional ambulance service when they were putting together their paramedic bike team. It was a good learning expereince for me as well, when we were talking about their experiences in responding to bike & other crashes, and one question I had was where was the best place to carry ID, and where did they look when a victim was non-responsive. Turns out the wrist Road ID was an excellent choice, followed by the "dogtag" style. I also note that when I was hit by a drunk driver early last year, one of the first places that the fireman looked when he checked me out was my pulse, and came up with my ID there.

I'm single, and if they do call my emergency contact (Hub), she's 3 hours away in Mississippi. So I've gotten a little more serious about having that sort of info on me for when they eventually find me dead in a ditch somewheres...

Tom

[Catrin]

I wear my "interactive" RoadID (where they can call in for my health and contact information) and copies of my drivers license and health insurance card. I am just afraid of losing them which is why I carry copies and not the actual cards/paper.

I need another RoadID band though, it keeps coming unattached - this is the velcro version. Thinking about the rubberized version eventually. The velcro only comes unattached when I am taking my Camelbak on/off, the problem is I don't always notice it when it happens

[pll]

I'm single, and if they do call my emergency contact (Hub), she's 3 hours away in Mississippi. So I've gotten a little more serious about having that sort of info on me for when they eventually find me dead in a ditch somewheres...

Same here. My family lives in a different country, so a friend is my emergency contact. I have made legal arrangements for her to have power of attorney if needed, as well as granted her proxy access to my health record. Hopefully we will never have to use any of that, but you never know. For the same reasons, I should work on a will to make the worst case scenario simpler. <ugh>

[KathiCville]

I wear a Road ID bracelet engraved with my insurance provider, member number, and two emergency contacts---one near my home and one in the Shenandoah Valley where I frequently ride. I don't always remember to put it on when I go out, so I also have a copy of my insurance card tucked into my underseat bag.

I had an extra line on the engraved tag on the bracelet so I also included my pick-up truck license number, for what's it worth. I often drive to wherever I'm riding in the country and figured it wouldn't hurt to include it. If I'm seriously hurt, my truck is going to be stuck wherever I parked it. By including the info on the bracelet, the police can be tipped off that it's not an abandoned vehicle. :-)

[maggie's sister]

I always wear my road ID and recently tossed by insurance card in the seat bag. My boyfriend who is on about 90% of the rides that I do, is the contact person on my ID. I also have a close friend listed. Ultimately, this concerns me since they aren't legally able to make medical decisions on my behalf and most of my family is marginally estranged. I suppose that I should draw up a health care directive and select them as my proxies.

[Melalvai]

After my daughter's wreck, I signed us up for Air Evac. It's only $50 a year for the family and if she had had to be flown all the way to Columbia, it would have cost us about $25,000, because helicopter is not covered by medical insurance.

They give you a bunch of stickers to put around your home and in your vehicles. I put one sticker in the car, and one sticker on each of our bicycles. I also carry the membership card in my wallet. The part that makes me feel better though is that one of the stickers is on her bicycle.

[radacrider]

Since I primarily commute, I have everything with me in a small purse.

I do have a RoadID (dog-tag style) that I wear all the time - you just never know when something will happen, not just for riding. I have the Interactive account, so all my info is there and available to emergency workers.

I went interactive so I could more easily keep information up to date. My profile also indicates I have an advanced directive filed with my primary care doc and my attorney.

[jobob]

A bit of a spin-off from the unidentified cyclist who died.

Good thread, thanks for starting it!

This was the main reason why I posted the story, to show how important it is to always carry ID and yes, insurance info, even on a ride that might not be very long.

side note: still no news that the poor guy has been identified!

I always carry a small zippered pouch in my back jersey pocket with my contact numbers, insurance info, and ID (an expired drivers license but all the info is the same as my current DL). That's in addition to a RoadID wristband. Although my husband and many close friends were on the scene immediately after my crash a couple of years ago, it would have been bad news if I were on my own or with people who didn't know me, if I didn't have ID, contact numbers, and health insurance info.

[Norse]

I wear a wrist Road ID and carry my DL and an insurance card in my seat bag.

[Aggie_Ama]

Oakleaf - Here is a little Demo on the Jimi wallet. I agree their website is a little bare bones, I got to play with mine at the LBS first. http://thejimi.com/wallet/demo.php

It is not thick enough for a phone, I carry my phone in a baggie although many of my teammates have a sleeve for their Iphones that is fairly interesting. The Jimi is splashproof, sweat proof and snaps fairly tight. I think it would leak if completely submerged because it doesn't have a seal between the two parts that open. The clip is removable if you don't want to use it. I used to have a little cloth wallet and after every ride it was disgusting feeling. For under $15 it was worth a shot, I like it. Think there could be improvements such as tighter seal, maybe a slightly thicker model, plastic is thick but I have seen thicker. Overall I think for the cost and function it is a pretty nice little wallet.

[Catrin]

I use the Jimi as well - it holds the copies of my DL and insurance card, and a couple of $$ if I need it. It fits most anywhere which is a nice advantage and it does stay closed. Not bad for $10!

[rubysoho]

Thanks for all the responses! I just ordered a RoadID bracelet with my health insurance info on it.

[Grog]

I am in Canada but unlike Shootingstar I seldom carry my (provincial) health insurance card with me. I know that care will not be any different if I land at a hospital even if they don't know my medicard number. I just wear my RoadID (which has contact numbers on it but also my year-of-birth) and a little bit of money, credit card, etc. in a jimi style wallet.

[Eden]

I carry my wallet, with ID and my insurance card when I ride, but I recognize that a person can fairly easily be separated from their things in an emergency situation, so I also have a road ID too and it has my insurance info engraved on it. My husband thought that number can change too easily, but I had a spare line, so I figured that there was no harm in it. Plus I race and I *don't* carry a wallet when I do that - so I wouldn't have my insurance card on me if, forbid, I had a severe accident in a race - but I do wear my road id. I went with the wrist ID on the recommendation of an ER doc (was it TXdoc?) here.

[amb]

I am a fairly new rider (March) and I have been carrying my DL, debit card & some cash in a ziploc. After reading this, I just ordered a Road ID and included my health insurance ID #. Thanks all for reminding me the need to get one. Stay safe out there! I have heard of several bicycle deaths this week (both here and locally). So sad.