Originally Posted by
jbhowat
I'm not so sure why health insurance matters. If you have it you have it, it doesn't affect their treatment.....I don't really get that. There are a lot more important things for me to put on a little tag than that.
It depends on your health insurance. Some health insurance companies (mostly HMOs, but even PPOs to some extent) require pre-authorization for emergency room care. So, even if you're bleeding to death, they want someone from the hospital to call them within a certain time period to let them know you've arrived and obtain "authorization." If this doesn't happen, you can end up with a giant headache down the road, anything from just the hassle of filling out some forms explaining why pre-authorization was not possible to actually having your claim denied. I've gone through this and it's NOT fun.
In addition, if you need x-rays or lab work done and you have your health insurance information with you, it can save the expense of the hospital accidentally doing something "out of network" that will cost you lots of money after everything is over. I've had enough personal experience with hospitals and health insurance companies to know the value of ensuring this information is on your person at all times. Name of health insurance company, their member services phone number, and your member number and group ID are VERY important pieces of information to keep with you at all times.