Yeah, so I currently have no health insurance due to me quitting my job a few months back. I’ve never been in this situation before, so I’m not quite sure where to go for a Doctor’s Appointment. Some places, such as Kaiser, require health insurance, right?
Should I be looking at clinics or something? Or is there some online resource I can use to find Dr’s that won’t break the bank?
When I had no insurance I just kept going to my regular doctor. Before I scheduled an appointment I let them know that I didn’t currently have my old insurance carrier and how much will they charge me for an appointment.
My doctor charged me $50 + the cost of any tests, but he also gave me samples of the penicillin I needed.
So if not your regular doc, try any other, just ask them how much they will charge an uninsured patient.
You can look into things like free clinics. Usually they are very restrictive, 'cause they get federal/state funds. For instance, you may be required to live in an area and present proof that you still live there. Or you may have to be on food stamps.
A lot of free clinics are specialty, in other words they only treat certain things, like sexualy transmitted diseases. In Chicago you can get free treatment for VD fairly easy and at no cost.
I knew a girl that didn’t have health insurance, she would simply go to the Chicago Health Dept and claim she was pregnant. They always treat a pregnant women. By the time her test came back she had her office appointment done. In other words, she went for a pregnancy test and “…As long as I’m here doc.”
Do you have a doctor from before? My doctor will treat me for cash, and I know he gives me a break on the bill 'cause it’s only $50/visit. He was my doctor when I still had health insurance.
There are walk in clinics, they tend to be more money 'cause you walk in, but they are upfront with their fees.
You might want to try airports. A lot of them list doctors for travelers. Again, these fees are probably higher as they are convenience things.
Finally you could call something like 1-800-DOCTORS, or your local hospital most likely has a doctor referal line. Then you just tell the representative, you have no health insurance and need to pay cash. You won’t get a direct quote of cost, but at least the CSR can narrow it down. And once you get the appointment, just call back on your own and ask th upfront cost. If it’s too much cancel the appointment and keep looking
I wish you luck my friend.
What kind of care are you seeking?
If you already have a doctor, see what their charges are for uninsured patients, and if they’re open to a payment plan.
You can also check into free clinics and even Planned Parenthood. Both can help with preventive care, and PP offers sliding-scale fees based on income.
http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/ This site gives you health care clinics in your area. They charge on a sliding scale for what you can afford.
When I was self-employed and without health insurance we found a private clinic that seemed to specialize in the non/under-insured. Very good care, but at much lower prices. This is in the Atlanta area, so I’m sure of no help to you, but we found them via word-of-mouth. Perhaps you could inquire amongst uninsured acquaintances?
And to echo other’s experience: my regular doctor, though in a fairly large practice, took extra steps to minimize my out-of-pocket (providing med samples, referring me to other labs rather than the in-house lab, etc).
I’m self-employed and uninsured, and I have to see my endocrinologist every 3 months, plus my primary doctor when something else comes up. If you already had a doctor when you were insured, the logical thing would be to continue with them. Just tell them you’re uninsured when you make the appointment.
And when you’re there: Keep telling them how grateful you’d be if they could give you some free samples of medications.
Some Planned Parenthood offices offer general primary care as well as reproductive health care, and charge on a sliding scale, but it varies by state and by office. You can check online if that would work for you.
Also, if you’re in the US and “a few months” is less than 12 or 18, you might still be eligible for COBRA coverage if you want to re-start health insurance before going to the doctor.
I vaguely recall back when I left my last job that there was a window where you could effectively re-start health insurance at any time and not be subject to pre-existing condition limits and the like.
If you already have a doctor that you were seeing, and you have a condition that needs monitoring, you can ask them if they do any kind of write-offs for financial hardship. I’ve worked at offices where they will give you free treatment if you really need it, and you sign a financial hardship form. They won’t come right out and offer it to you, but sometimes if you ask it’s available. I’m talking about conditions such as diabetes, psoriasis, heart disease, etc.
Along with the above, in urban ans esp. suburban areas, there are plenty of doc-in-a-box places (Called “Rapid Medical,” “Minor Medical,” etc.) that will treat you on a cash basis. But they’re probably going to be more expensive than a regular doctor that you already have a relationship with that’s willing to give you a break.
As always, if you’re having a medical emergency, get to a hospital emergency room. They are required to treat – or at the very least stabilize – you regardless of your ability to pay. You can get treatment for non-emergent issues there, too, but it will likely be substantially more expensive than the other options discussed.
–Cliffy
When I was uninsured, I had great luck with Planned Parenthood.
When I was uninsured, I used a community based clinic. They treated patients on a sliding scale and offered certain meds at a deep discount (this was before the $4 and $10 list at WalMart and other pharmacies).
I usually had a longer wait and was charged (again on a sliding scale) for lab tests, but it was affordable. Ten years ago, at the highest tier, I was paying $20 for a visit and usually no more than $50 for all of the blood work and lab tests.
Hope that you find something soon.
If you are around a CVS Pharmacy, you might check out the “Minute Clinic” they have. Sometimes they have doctors or PAs that just are pretty much perscription filler outers, and they are great if you just need some antibiotics to get over something.
I hope you get to feeling better if you are ill.