How much would someone in California with pneumonia without insurance have to spend in order to get it treated?
If anyone has any anecdotes, advice, regarding such a situation, I’d be pleased to hear from you as well…
This question is a bit like “how long is a piece of string?”
Pneumonia varies in severity from something that can be treated at home to something that requires weeks in the intensive care unit.
A couple of years ago a friend of mine was in the hospital for a week with pneumonia and the bill was over $54,000.
I think every county has a county hospital where a person can be treated and pay on a sliding scale.
Check your county.
My husband had pneumonia a few years ago and all that was required was a doctor’s visit and a prescription for antibiotics. Without insurance, I’d imagine it would have cost $200 or so for both.
But if you don’t get treated, then complications can arise. So the key is to get it treated early.
That’s what happened to me, too, although my doctor also wanted me to get a chest X-ray at the end of treatment.
Like PinkFreud said, pneumonia varies.
My daughter (age 40) had a variety of pneumonia last year. She also has no insurance. She was sick for a week. She finally went to the doctor when she couldn’t breathe. The doctor gave her an injection (some kind of antibiotic) and a prescription (more antibiotics). It cost about $300 for the office call, tests, and the drugs, which cleared everything up nicely.
I’m rather unclear about the severity myself, at the moment, but she’s still talking. I’m trying to organise a little fundraiser, and I’d like a little ballpark figure to aim at…
Assuming you just need an examination and antibiotics (which is by no means a guarantee), you might do well with a walk-in clinic, if you have one. Also, if the doc gives you a 'scrip, ask if he has any samples. Many clinics have tons of samples available, and are more than happy to give them to you if you ask. If you can’t get your meds free via samples, and the antibiotic is too expensive, call the doc and ask him to switch you to something cheaper. Some years ago, I was prescribed Levaquin for a kidney infection; we didn’t have insurance at the time, and my hubby almost had a stroke when the pharmacy told him the pills would be $135.00!! He called the doc, who switched me to a sulfa based drug that cost, like, $4.00.
If you require hospitalization, get in the hospital. They will know even before admitting you that you have no insurance. Afterwards, see if you can get the bill lowered any way. You can also apply for short-term retroactive assistance from social services.
The one thing you absolutely do not want to do is ignore it and hope it’ll go away by itself. That shit can kill you!
Good luck!
I have had pneumonia twice: in 1953 and in 1965. In 1953 I was hospitalized for three months. Since I was a child at the time, I have no idea what the cost was, but obviously it would be big bucks. In 1965, I was treated at an outpatient clinic for less than $100. I don’t mean to be unkind, but I truly think that a ballpark figure for treatment of pneumonia is next to impossible without more details.
Try calling a local doctor’s office, tell them about the lack of insurance. They should be able to refer you to the closest county backed facility where your friend can get treatment.
If you’re not at death’s doorstep, they’ll let you treat it from home. See a doctor. You don’t wanna fuck wit dat.
Agreed with the other people who say do it sooner so hopefully it’ll be cheaper.
A little over a year ago, my (70-something) father-in-law delayed in treating what he thought was a cold, until the point where he was so weak that he could barely walk, and was deathly pale. He ended up being taken to the ER, admitted to the hospital, then while he was there he was unlucky enough to pick up a C. difficile infection because the tough antibiotic regimen had wiped out his body’s natural “flora,” which ended up requiring some hardcore antibiotics for weeks afterwards.
Pneumonia is nothing to take lightly. I had it when I was 17 and was flat on my back for a week at home, coughing my lungs out.
Ditto what other people are saying about the variation in severity. Some cases you can whack with an antibiotic. Other cases–a friend of ours was hospitalized for several months with pneumonia, ended up getting a tracheotomy, her oxygen absorption was so poor they eventually had to put her on pure oxygen, etc., etc. She almost died. I think one of her lungs collapsed a couple of times (although I can’t remember for sure). She was insured, but if she hadn’t been, I’m sure the hospital bill would have been in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I suppose one moral of this story is get thee to a doctor at the early stages of a respiratory infection. The results (physical and financial) for not doing so can be severe.
Medical costs are negotiable. If you go to a doctor or hospital they can almost always be talked into lowering costs. That being said, go to the doctor now! Don’t wait until you are almost dying hoping it will get better because pneumonia isn’t something you can work through like a regular cold from what I understand. The longer you wait, the worse it will get and the more expensive it will be.
I spent two nights in the Samui General Hospital (Thailand) and got x-rays, two lovely nights accommodation, and drugs for $80, but that’s probably not what you’ll get in CA. 
I’ve had pneumonia five (maybe six) times so far, and I’d like to re-emphasize the one thing that everyone’s been pointing out:
It’ll definately cost much more if she doesn’t go get treated right now.
Fundraising can wait. Take her to the doctor now, and figure out how to pay the costs later. Sitting around worrying about how much it’s going to cost is only making it cost more. Pass along some of the advice given for keeping the costs under control, and get her moving. She’s not just going to get better by waiting it out.