Children’s Mercy Hospital ER Entrance. Photo by Our Wandering Family
Life on the road has a lot of perks, but today, as I was taking my youngest to a local children’s hospital here in Kansas City, MO, I realized healthcare has the potential to be a bit trickier on the road than I’d realized.
That realization didn’t make me feel good, but it did prompt me to ask myself what can I do to feel more prepared and knowledgeable when it comes to the well-being of our family. All 3 of our kids have unique challenges that keep us at a doctor’s office pretty regularly. Nothing that will keep us from traveling, and their hometown medical team has given us their blessing, but still, we go to the hospital a lot, especially with our youngest.
It seems that our littlest wanderer just looks at something, and he falls over, and whacks/fractures/injures his body, so having immediate knowledge of nearby medical care is important, and one we need to be better informed on. So how can we prepare as best as we can for the unexpected?
So how can we prepare for the unexpected?
- Know your insurance coverage. We go through the marketplace and thankfully have an insurance carrier that has strong coverage outside of our home state. As we continue to carry insurance through the marketplace, we will always make sure that any carrier we go with has options outside of IL that won’t break our bank.
- Entire medical history for all the kids. I had originally thought I wasn’t going to do this, but given the lengthy medical history of our oldest and youngest, having something with us that details their medical history with both their PCP’s and all their specialists seems to make sense. It’ll be pricey to get. Our PCP quoted me $50 a child to get a hard copy of their entire medical record.
- Know as you arrive where the nearest hospitals are, and have them programmed into your navigation if you are in an unfamiliar place. I prefer, when possible, to take my kids to a children’s urgent care/ER if one is available, so I will want to know where both the nearest hospital is, and the nearest children’s hospital.
- Know where the nearest minute clinics are located. It’s a nice comfort to know that more and more communities have numerous minute clinics and urgent care centers available, making it easier than ever for minor colds/injuries to be treated quickly and often at a much lower price.
So, tell me, what am I missing? If you are on the road full time what are some thoughts or processes you incorporate to make sure you and your loved ones are safe and have care available to them should you need it?
Thankfully our littlest wanderer had a minor dislocation of his elbow, and we were on our way in no time with no x-rays and no post care follow-up needed, however, we know our little guy, and we know this won’t be the last time he walks the halls of a children’s hospital. He keeps us on our toes!
Have a medical story that happened while you were full-time RV’ing? What are some ways you stay organized when it comes to your families and healthcare while traveling? Leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
