Are you trying to get health care without insurance? Read this article to learn where to get medical help even without health insurance.
If there’s one topic that’s been on everyone’s tongue this past year, it’s certainly health care.
The topic of health care is one of the main focuses of the 2020 election, and it’s one that has fervent opinions on either side of the aisle.
As of this moment, there are millions of people in the country without health insurance. In most cases, this is because they cannot afford insurance as it stands. If you’re in this situation, what should you do?
If you need to know where to get health care without insurance, read on. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know.
Head to the Emergency Room
If you or someone you love have been seriously injured, you should not think twice about heading to the nearest emergency room. The safety and well-being of yourself or your loved one should be held above all other concerns.
Even if you don’t currently have health insurance, an ER cannot refuse to treat you. Your condition will still need to fall under what would be deemed an emergency condition. If you’re in real danger, this can be a literal life-saver.
However, the bill you might receive for this emergency service might make you wish you were dead. The costs of health care without insurance can certainly feel overwhelming.
There are options, however.
You can work with or negotiate with the hospital’s billing department in order to cover these high costs. You might be able to negotiate the fees down, break them down into no-interest monthly payments, or have them forgiven altogether.
A hospital may be willing to lower your payments if you offer to pay in cash. It’s well worth talking to them and seeing what they might offer. It’s especially important to begin this conversation with a hospital as early as possible. If you fail to pay or talk to them, they’ll send your information to a collection agency.
Trust us when we say that a collection agency will be a lot less interested in negotiating with you than a hospital would.
Paying back emergency costs might not be easy, but it doesn’t have to be the end of your life, either.
Walk-In Clinics
What’s the favorite spot for most people who don’t have insurance? A walk-in clinic.
You probably have a number of these in your city in various locations, making it convenient not only for your insurance situation but in terms of location as well.
If you don’t currently have health insurance but need care or advice and a non-life threatening condition, a walk-in clinic might be the way to go. Costs for treatments at these centers are often somewhere between 30% to 50% lower than what a hospital might charge.
It’ll be even a higher percentage better than a trip to the emergency room as well. There are some drawbacks to these clinics and the quality of service might not be what you would find at a hospital. However, for the price, that’s not much to complain about.
Many urgent care facilities are open late and on the weekends so you can go in at almost any time to receive service. It’s well worth reading more about these kinds of urgent care clinics to see if they’re a proper alternative for you and your family.
Community Healthcare Clinics
In addition to walk-in urgent care clinics, there are some clinics out there that might be able to provide services totally free of charge.
Thousands of public clinics around the U.S. are funded by the government and exist in the service of those individuals who might not otherwise have access to healthcare.
Many of these health centers offer a wide range of services. Those might include mental health care, primary care, pharmacy, and substance abuse disorder assistance. As you can imagine, these services can be hugely helpful to those who might be struggling with the short end of life’s stick.
For those with physical disabilities, these clinics also have some transportation support and services that can aid those in need. They also often have educational seminars and classes that can help people in their community better learn how to manage their health.
Millions of people rely on the help from these kinds of clinics each year.
Other Ways to Save Money on Health Care
If you’re operating with no health insurance, you’ll have to get crafty about the ways in which you save money. There are a few other tricks you can employ to get medical help when you need it, sans insurance.
When you get a prescription for medicine, ask your doctor if you can get a free sample. That can give you a little extra for free. You can also ask for a prescription for the generic brand medicine, which is just as good but often priced cheaper.
There are also many prescription assistance programs out there that you can apply for. If accepted, you may be able to be granted discounts on prescription purchases.
If you’re really going to be operating without health insurance, it’s a good idea to make a separate savings account as a ‘just-in-case’ fund. Deposit whatever you can each month into this account, so you have some money at the ready just in case you get into some sort of accident or fall ill.
Finding Health Care without Insurance
It can be hard to get adequate health care without insurance.
And yet, it’s a situation that many Americans find themselves in. The above tips can present a few options for getting help even when you’re uninsured.
Need more health advice? Check out our blog for more info.
