Medical Alert Review

Connect America’s Medical Alert brand sells—you guessed it—medical alert systems. You can get better deals elsewhere on in-home alert systems, but we do like the advanced fall detection tech in the Mobile System. 

All in all, Medical Alert’s a good choice if you’re active outside the home but need a safety net for life’s surprises. If you’re alone only when you’re at home, Medical Alert’s not the best choice because its in-home system is a little overpriced if you can't afford an upfront annual payment.

Medical Alert’s equipment is leased to you for free, but there are still some upfront charges to prep for.

• A one-time $79 programming fee
• $15 ground shipping or $35 one-day shipping for all systems with month-to-month service plans

The amount you pay each month depends on the type of medical alert system you choose and the way you pay. The in-home landline system, paid annually, is the most affordable choice for about $28 a month. If you pay month-to-month, the fee goes up to $29.95 per month.

Using a cellular connection for the in-home system starts around $35 a month if paid annually. Your monthly cost goes up to around $40 a month if you pay month-to-month.  

The mobile system ranges from $45 per month (if you pay annually) to $49.95 per month if you pay month-to-month. No matter which way you pay, you're not stuck in a contract, and you get 30 days to try it out

Medical Alert doesn’t offer a price lock guarantee. Your monthly cost may increase after the first year of service.

There are two optional monthly fees:

• Automatic fall detection is available with every plan for an extra $10 each month. 
• An extra $5 a month gets you the Protection Plan, which gets you one free system replacement and two help button replacements each year.
• Each system comes with a $79 programming fee that you need to pay upfront.

Because you don’t own any Medical Alert equipment, you’re expected to return it in good condition after canceling your account. Otherwise, you might be charged the full price of the equipment—around $350.

You can save on your monthly cost and get free ground shipping by paying for 6 or 12 months at a time. Paying for an entire year up front also gets you a free lockbox, which helps emergency responders access your home quickly and without damaging the door. Medical Alert’s monitoring center keeps the lockbox code on file.  

We don’t consider Medical Alert one of the best in-home medical alert systems on the market—not because it’s inherently bad, but because competitors have superior equipment for lower prices. 

For example, both Bay Alarm Medical and Medical Guardian charge between $3 and $7 less per month for an in-home cellular system (if you pay month-to-month) and don’t hit you with a one-time programming fee. Their help buttons also work more than 1,000 feet away from the base stations, whereas Medical Alert’s help buttons go kaput after 800 feet. Another major difference is that Medical Guardian and Bay Alarm Medical provide free accounts for spouses, whereas Medical Alert requires spouses to pay up, albeit at a discounted rate.

But Medical Alert’s Mobile System does stand out thanks to its extra fall detection sensors. Instead of relying on an accelerometer only, it also includes a barometric pressure sensor and gyroscope. Having multiple sensors can improve the device’s accuracy, so it’s one of our top recommended medical alerts for fall detection.

Medical Alert doesn’t lock you into a long-term contract, even if you choose to pay for a year in advance. You can cancel at any time and get a prorated refund. Or, cancel in the first 30 days for a full refund. 

Remember that you have to notify the company when you decide to cancel. If you just stop making payments, you may accrue late fees. Medical Alert doesn’t specify how much those late fees cost.

Medical Alert’s only warranty is the paid Protection Plan. It costs $5 a month and is sometimes offered for a very affordable $1 a month. It’s unusual for a medical alert company to not offer at least a 1-year equipment warranty. Of course, we always prefer free lifetime warranties.

Medical Alert’s equipment is pretty basic. The in-home systems come with a base station and a help button with a lanyard or wristband attachment. The mobile GPS system includes a docking station and removable, wearable base unit plus an extra wearable button. 

All of the help buttons are waterproof and can be worn in the shower. They can also be submerged in shallow water for about 30 minutes. 

When the help button batteries get low, the device sends a signal to the monitoring center and Medical Alert sends a free replacement button. The only thing you have to charge is the Mobile System’s base unit.

Other than wall buttons and a lock box, there isn't much more to Medical Alert's equipment catalog. There are also no voice-activated options or voice extenders. 

As we’ve mentioned, Medical Alert’s only stand-out tech is in the Mobile System, which includes three types of fall sensing technology. Most fall detection devices on the market use only one type of fall detection technology.

Here’s what you get with the Medical Alert home system:

• Base unit
• Power cord
• Phone cord (landline option only)
• Help button
• Lanyard attachment
• Wrist attachment
• Vial of Life
• Setup guide

This is what comes with the Medical Alert mobile system:

• Mobile base unit
• Charging cradle
• Power cord
• Help button
• Lanyard attachment
• Wrist attachment
• Carrying pouch
• Vial of Life
• Setup guide

Medical Alert’s caregiver app—called Medical Alert Connect on Google Play and the Apple App Store—notifies caregivers when their loved one uses the emergency button. It also shows the GPS location of the on-the-go system and sends caregivers low-battery alerts. Caregivers can monitor more than one person through the app—no need for a separate login.

Unfortunately, it seems like the app doesn’t always pair with Medical Alert devices, recognize login info, or keep users signed in. 

Until recently, the caregiver app was missing out on some important features, like the ability to add other supportive family members or to connect to the monitoring center when your loved one makes an emergency call. These features are now available, that is, if you can get the app to load and work like it should.

(OK, we’ll admit it—we’ve been spoiled by the high bar set by Aloe Care Health's mobile app. Everything else seems lackluster.)

Medical Alert’s Mobile System is a great option for you if you’re independent but starting to experience some risk factors for falling. It has some of the best fall detection tech on the market, and it doubles as an in-home system since there’s a separate base unit and wearable. 

If you don’t spend time outside your home by yourself, then you probably just need an in-home landline or cellular system. We don’t see any reason to spend more money for Medical Alert’s system when you can get the same type of medical alert setup from companies like Bay Alarm Medical, MobileHelp, and Medical Guardian for lower prices.

We developed a proprietary ranking system and comparison database to track over 40 nuances in price, policy, and performance for over 25 medical alert companies. We relied heavily on this resource to provide context for our Medical Alert review. We also did some mystery shopping on the Medical Alert website and combed through the company’s terms and conditions, Protection Plan terms, and support pages. Learn more on the SafeWise methodology page.

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