How to Live Without Medical Insurance

If you are one of the 40 million Americans that can not afford to pay medical insurance premiums but are making too much money to afford state sponsored medical assistance programs, you know that every day is a blessing if you don't get sick. Living without the safety net of health insurance is no fun, but there are ways to make it easier. Preparation is one of the most important things you need to survive without health insurance.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• All of your financial records organized into one place.
• Names of local hospitals and health care facilities.
• A friend or colleague who would be a good medical mentor.

1. First, make sure your budget can not truly afford a catastrophic insurance policy. Depending on health and age, these policies can be affordable to people in their twenties and thirties. However, if you have even the slightest hint of any sort of injury or illness that might some day come back and haunt you, it is best to recognize that any surgeries for that illness will probably have payments denied from you insurance companies. Insurance companies are excellent at finding out previous conditions and then denying coverage, so deal with that fact even before you start to medical procedures.

2. Find out which hospitals and clinics in the area will allow you to make payments. This will become your major provider. Call and ask them if they allow people to make payments each month toward any kind of medical treatment. If this hospital has a bad reputation, find out if there is another in the area that will take payments. Now is the time to interview them, because if you have a medical emergency, you don't want to go to an emergency room, only to be hit with a huge "pay it NOW" bill after you are well. Providers are all very different, and you need the one who will work with you.

3. Find out if the Provider gives an uninsured discount. If one doesn't, find one that does. Inquire as to what kinds of hoops you will need to jump through in order to get that discount. If the Provider insists that you apply for state medical assistance first before getting the discount, be sure to keep a separate folder with copies of all documents you will need to get through the state medical assistance application process. This might include tax information, and other documents.

4. Begin finding sources to help you keep well. For example, some churches and local clinics give out inexpensive flu shots at the beginning of each season. For twenty dollars or so, you can avoid getting the flu so badly that you will end up in the doctor's office to get medicine to stave off the flu. Health fairs will often do blood pressure tests or cholesterol tests for a minimal cost. This is the kind of situation that you need to take advantage of, so ask around or check the newspaper to take advantage of these medical offerings.

5. Request lab only procedures. For example, if you suspect that you have strep throat, you can walk into the clinic and request the strep test to be taken, just for the lab fee. This lab fee is often anywhere from twenty-five to forty dollars, but not seeing the doctor can save another thirty or so. Then if you test positive, you probably will have to bite the bullet to see the doctor for a prescription. If you test negative, you can skip the doctor visit.

6. Keeping healthy is your top concern. Remember to eat a good diet, exercise, and don't engage in seriously risky behaviors. This includes things like sports where you could get seriously hurt. Remember, it's great fun to rock climb, but falling and getting hurt when you are uninsured could put your family in the poorhouse for the rest of their lives. Unless you can afford the health insurance, keep your feet on the ground. This also means to think twice when doing home repairs. Be sure to have a helper to hold ladders and wear eye equipment. One thoughtless move could bankrupt your family.

7. Although you should have enough money on hand to take care of eight months worth of living expenses, keep in mind that state medical programs do not reward you for having cash on hand. Therefore, fully fund your retirement with as much as you can, for if you become ill, the state will require you to pay out all the extra cash over and above the asset limit. This applies to land and buildings, too, though not usually to your personal home. Check the rules of the state medical aid program to find that out so you can plan for this. Keep the money in your ROTH IRA or 401K. The sad goal is to save your money for when you are old.

8. Arm yourself with knowledge. The time to learn about alternative treatments is before you need them, so discuss with friends, neighbors and coworkers about their choices for alternative medical care. Sometimes if you can get a problem diagnosed from a regular doctor but can not afford the proper treatment, you can find other kinds of help through massage therapists, reflexologists, chiropractors, or naturalpathic caregivers. For example, spinal disc problems may normally respond well to surgery, but if that without insurance, the cost is prohibitive. Through a combination of alternative therapists, you may be able to manage the pain well enough to still enjoy life.

9. Just because you can't afford medical care doesn't mean you shouldn't look into cheaper, effective insurances. For example, AFLAC is an excellent help if you require any kind of long term care, hospitalization or other special circumstances. Though it will not come anywhere near helping you pay them medical bill, it will at least give you a temporary income to offset the time off of work. Also, disability insurance is usually far less expensive and a blessing if you have a broken leg or something. Consider the costs versus the help they would be to you in times of need.

Tips & Warnings

• Preparation for wellness issues help prevent frustration later when dealing with medical concerns.
• Before dealing with recommended surgeries, ask anyone you can think of for their ideas on it. Sometimes other people have had the surgery only to find that it didn't matter much anyway.
• Take advantage of early detection resources to catch cancer early. Lumpectomies are sometimes much cheaper to deal with than full blown surgery.
• If plagued with repeated bouts of illness, such as lung infections, consider finding a new place to live. Sometimes people are susceptible to pollution in the cities and you just need to live in a less populated area.
• Find medical mentors. These are people who know a lot about how to work the medical system, and/or how to work with alternative therapies. Ask them to help you with any medical problems you might need direction for to solve.
• If confronted with a non critical medical issue, research all of the options first before making a decision about how to proceed with treatment.
• Don't go to the doctor for every little problem. See first if you can solve some of it on your own. Many people run to the doctor for a bad cold. Sometimes it just takes time and rest to get over it.
• Watch the stress level in your life. Stress adds to medical issues, so do what you can to keep the stress level down.
• Don't ignore medical issues just because you are feeling healthy. Heart attacks and gall stones are just two of the medical emergencies that can sneak up on you.

[wearmanyhats]

on 3/10/2009 Gee, thanks! I appreciate the feedback. Living without medical insurance is s real pain.

[grammastacie]

on 3/10/2009 great article! 5*