How to Get Medical Treatment Without Health Insurance

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By HowardBThiname
User-Submitted Article

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(16 Ratings)

Millions of Americans have no health insurance.

It’s a fact, more and more Americans are going without health insurance as insurance quotes rise and the charges at the doctor’s office skyrocket. What options are available for those needing medical care that don’t have the financial means to pay out of their pocket?

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Step 1

Find out about the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) if you were recently laid off from your job and you had health insurance. The EMTALA Act insists that insurance companies provide continuing health insurance for individuals, at a reduced rate,if they were enrolled in a health plan at work.
Step 2

Emergency care is a right of every citizen.

Go to the Emergency Room even if you can’t afford the health care cost if a medical emergency exists. Hospitals must treat emergency victims although they may turn down non-emergencies.
Step 3

Go immediately to the hospital billing office when you’re released. Very few patients know that you may be able to have the entire bill waived if you don’t have a job and no way to pay the health care cost.
Step 4

Keep searching for health insurance quotes. Ask about professional associations in your area, or in your line of work that will allow you to join and pay a lower premium for health insurance.
Step 5

Get treatment from learning centers. For greatly reduced prices, you can have your teeth cleaned by a practicing dental hygienist or your vision checked by a student of Optometry.
Step 6

Don’t give up! Talk to the doctor before to see if there is some way you can pay your bill on time. And, yes, it’s better to talk to the doctor than the billing secretary. He will often override policy to make an exception for a patient.

Comments

mtwyman said

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on 10/29/2009 great article! I never knew that you could talk to the billing office at the hospital to try and work out a deal/arrangement if you're unemployed or in a financial hardship. Great information that more people need to read. 5 stars and a recommendation!