Tandem Tom

I posted here because it really didn't seem to fit in Pills& Ills.
Do you carry the original or a copy?
Thanks!

skycomag

make a color copy. I need to use mine twice for injuries.

texbiker

Your Medicare number is all most providers need. They will look up your status on the computer. The more important part is a photo ID.

DowneasTTer

Made a color copy, laminated it and carry with me. The original is with all other important papers. Nice and Safe. I do have an interactive Road ID as well so all medical information is available to first responders if needed. Oh and since I have both CHF and an ICD I carry all my medical records in pdf files on a pen drive attached to my keys as my wife and I travel around a lot.

DiabloScott

I have one page with front and back color copies of my DL, Insurance card, credit card, and my doctor's business card... with emergency contacts. Folded up in my bike wallet. And a statement that I'm not on any medication and don't have any allergies.

themp

On my old Medicare card that was Social Security number based, I made a copy and blacked out the last four digits. When I used it, I told the person those four digits. Now that I have a card that is not using my Social Security number(new cards are being issued now to everyone), I just carry the original.

JanMM

They say to present the original for care - but I'll be on a Medicare advantage plan as of the start of the new year so will present that card for care. Will probably carry both.

Shimagnolo

You can login to the Medicare website and get a B&W image of your Medicare card to print.
That is what I had to use for my initial physical, because they never sent me the original card, even though they sent me silly repeated emails announcing it was coming.
I eventually used the website to request a replacement card, which they did send.

Litespeedlouie

I don't qualify for one yet, but when taking care of my elderly dad, I had scans of all his medical cards/info on my phone. This was acceptable at several normal and ER visits - they just verify it all on their computer anyway.

I alway carry my full wallet on rides anyway, in a ziplock, but tend to have scan copies on my phone, too (front and backs of cards). The phone comes on rides too, of course.

canklecat

I managed my mom's medical needs for more than a decade. After her initial intake workup nobody at her primary medical facility ever asked for her Medicare card. She still had her original, then the two variations since then. Whenever she checked into her primary medical facility they only asked for her photo ID.

It's possible she would have been asked to present her Medicare card if she went outside her usual medical system, but if they did it would probably be for the original or government issued version, not a copy. That might depend on the state, however. Texas has gone through a weird phase of conflicting and contradictory ID requirements over the past decade. Some proofs they used to accept were rejected, and some new proofs of identification were ... unusual. But it had more to do with paranoia over voting and citizenship than with eligibility for Medicare/Medicaid/SSN, etc.

bobwysiwyg

Pretty much the chain of ID verification is your photo ID to insure you are you, then they take card ID's and check eligibility on-line and pretty much immediate these days. It wasn't long ago that realtime response was a dream.
Administration gets really laborious in cases where a couple or family has coverage under two employers, just short of a nightmare! There are different rules based on the employer to determine who's coverage is primary and who's is secondary. It might, or was in some cases, gender based and in some cases it was birth date. The administrative costs associated with our current healthcare system is staggering.

John00

Only time I was asked for my card was a few months ago at Costco for my flu shot. I belong to a Medicare advantage plan and they've sent me several plastic membership cards, I carry one with an old drivers license, emergency contact phone numbers, my doctor's business card and $10 in a sealed plastic sleeve. I automatically slip it into a back pocket of my jersey whenever I go for a ride.

rydabent

It depends on what kind of medical coverage you have. I for instance have Medicare advantage ins, and have been instructed NOT to carry my Medicare card, and instead carry my Advantage card.