- © 2008 Canadian Medical Association
Lifetime MedicAlert members who were recently invoiced for annual membership fees will continue to have access to the organization's 24-hour protection and emergency information service even if they don't cough-up the requested monies, the member-based charity says.
But lifetime members who don't fork over the $39 “standard” or $49 “advantage” annual fee will be charged $15 each time they seek to update their medical information on the centralized database, says MedicAlert Foundation Marketing Manager Robert Blair.
Confusion surrounding services surfaced last month as long-time members received invoices for the first time since MedicAlert, which was established in 1961, restructured services for members in January 2003.
The organization shifted to an annual fee structure, with 2 membership levels because the cost of maintaining the central database could not be sustained on the basis of monies generated from a flat fee for a MedicAlert bracelet, necklet or watch and lifetime membership, Blair says, adding that lifetime members have the option of paying the annual fee, on a “voluntary” basis or ignoring the invoice. “Obviously, we're still going to provide information” about the member's health record if contacted by emergency medical personnel on the MedicAlert 24-hour Emergency Response Hotline.
That record includes information on medical conditions, allergies, implants, devices and medications, as well as emergency contact information for the member's physician and family. Enrolment in the “Advantage” membership category includes notification to a member's physician and family contacts when a call has been made to the Hotline, as well as 2-year parts and labour warranty on jewelry.
Among the most common medical conditions engraved on MedicAlert bracelets are allergies and diabetes.