How to Get Help With Medical Expenses
If you have lost your medical coverage because you are out of work, or your employer doesn't provide affordable coverage, you may wonder how you will ever pay medical costs for you and your family. Affordable medical care is not easy to come by if you are uninsured, but there may be some ways you can reduce your costs.
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Instructions
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Inform your health care provider that you are not insured. In some cases providers may discount the cost slightly for those without medical or dental coverage.
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Inquire about a payment plan. If you have been hospitalized, particularly in the case of an emergency where you had no other options, hospitals will sometimes work out a payment plan where you pay what you can each month, rather than being responsible for the full cost upfront.
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Check with the office in your state that handles Medicaid coverage. Medicaid is a national insurance plan that is administered by individual states. The states have income and asset limits in place to determine who is eligible. In some cases your child might be eligible if you are not.
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Look into your State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP. All 50 states have a program for children of working parents who fall within a certain income range and do not have health care coverage.
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Ask your doctor about the possibility of getting samples of prescription drugs or taking a generic form of a drug if you cannot afford your medications. Some states also have programs to help with medication costs, particularly for the elderly.
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Contact dental colleges for possible free or low-cost dental care. This may take some research and traveling, but it may be worth it the time and research to do it.
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Tips & Warnings
Do your research. It will be worth the time and effort.
Call ahead and ask questions. Have your questions ready when you make the phone calls.
Be ready to show proof of need. Have tax documents, welfare cards or anything the agency may need in order to help
As with anything on the Internet, be sure to do your research before giving out any personal information.
Ask for names and phone numbers and keep a record while you make the phone calls.
References
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