All the health insurance carriers we have been members of have a magnet for the refrigerator. This provides easy access and I note on the card which person has this insurance. Different companies call these hotlines various names.

They could range from personal health advisor, nurse advice line or ask a nurse. These all provide live caring individuals twenty-four hours a day all 365 days of the year. Not even all major pharmacy chains are open 24 hours a day or have their pharmacy open all night.

In most instances you can get assistance for all members of the household with one phone call. I have utilized these nurse hotlines many times when I needed to know whether I should head over to the Emergency Room or wait until the next day for an office visit.

The costs associated with these visits is quite different, with some co-payments on emergency room visits or for utilizing an ambulance. The calls are strictly confidential with your member number given so the Registered Nurse can make sure you are covered with this benefit and perhaps access to your medical information and history.

If you need assistance with knowing side effects on a prescriptive medicine you are taking, or not sure if you can take an over-the-counter medication along with your prescribed medicine, the Nurse Hotline will help guide you.

Some of the hotlines also have database options where you can listen to recorded topics to help you know more about your symptoms. For those who live alone using the Nurse Hotline system can be a lifesaver and a welcome support system.

You can also learn more about treatments, procedures and whether you should have an X-ray. The nurse hotlines are a great addition to any health insurance plan and should not be used in extreme emergencies or life threatening emergencies when calling 911 is necessary.

For new mothers not knowing what to do with the colicy baby and not understanding the dosage in the medicine in the middle of the night, calling a toll-free number and speaking to a Nurse is very soothing and calming for middle of the night jitters.

You will not spend minutes on the phone waiting through long messages telling you which button to press. This is a system that can be used whenever the need arises. I highly recommend each health insured person locate the nurse hotline number for their plan and make note of it on their message board, refrigerator or phone pad for utilizing in those instances when they need a reassuring voice telling them they made the right decision or they need to follow a certain plan to get on the mend.

The Personal Health Advisor for Blue Cross of California - 1-800-224-0336

Blue Cross Breastfeeding Support Line - 1-800-231-2999

Blue Cross Teen MedCall, 24-hour nurse - 1-800-956-8336

Blue Cross Hearing Impaired (after hours) - 1-800-735-2929 TDD/TTY
business hours - 1-888-757-6034 TDD/TTY

Nurse Advice Line for L.A. Care Health Plans - 1-800-249-3619

National Business Association Nurse Hotline - 1-877-285-1286

Unicare MedCall - 1-800-424-8814 (press 3 for the audio library)

Aetna has an Informed Health Line for members - check your plan for the number

Harris County (Texas) Hospital District ask your nurse hotline - 1-713-633-CALL
(this is not a toll-free number)

Care Assure in Arizona has a nurse hotline - check your plan for the number

The Kidney Cancer Association has a nurse hotline - call 1-800-850-9132

Community Choice Michigan - 1-800-390-7102

Ask a nurse AIDS hotline - 1-800-535-1111

Suicide Prevention (800) 824-6423

Classic Card (medical discount card) nurse hotline - 1.888.897.5565

Montana has a nurse hotline for medicare patients - call information for number

Check your travel insurance company because they might offer a nurse hotline, carry that number with you when traveling.

Prudent Choice has a nurse hotline as well as a doctor online system.

For companies that want to have a nurse call center, Cooperative Health Services, Inc. offers these throughout the United States and Canada.


Educational Autism Tips for Families 71 page resourceful ebook for families entering the school system with a recent autism diagnosis. Find out what issues take place over the course of a school day and meet these challenges head on.