11 Things You Should Do If You Are Uninsured

by S.C. Axman

I don’t have health insurance.  It is a constant worry that one of us will get hurt or ill and we will not be able to get treatment.  I have looked into different individual plans but haven’t been able to find one that we can afford yet.  I am not advocating being uninsured but to help the millions of people who are uninsured.

1. Tell your health care provider.  In this area, there are doctors and clinics that provide health care on a sliding scale to patients that don’t have insurance.  They can also often help you out with sample medications.
2. Start an Emergency Medical Fund.  You can only open a Health Savings Account (HSA)  if you have a high deductible Insurance plan but there is nothing that says you can’t put money in a savings account for medical expenses.  You can use your regular emergency fund but you have to take into consideration that if you are seriously ill, you will probably not be able to work and you will need your emergency fund to pay for living expenses.
3. Add up last years medical expenses. This will not only help you determine what you need to have in your Emergency Medical Fund but it will also help you determine if paying for an insurance policy would be financially feasible.  If you had medical costs of more than or even close to $150 per month, you might be better off spending that money on a health insurance policy.
4. Check Medical Schools.  If there is a teaching hospital or medical university in your area, they may offer free clinics or sliding scale medical care.
5. Call your local Social Services Office.  While you may not qualify for benefits through them, they can tell you of any free clinics, state programs or lower cost clinics where you can receive treatment.
6. Check with Pharmaceutical Companies.  If you cannot afford your medication, it can be worthwhile to call the manufacturer.  Pharmaceutical companies sometimes will offer reduced rates to people who cannot afford their medications.  You can also ask your pharmacist and doctor.
7. Check High Deductible Health Insurance Plans.  If you have a healthy emergency fund and can pay some of your health care costs (most of the uninsured already are) high deductible plans can be very affordable.
8. Look into Limited Benefit Plans.  There are two types of limited benefit plans and they are very controversial but they may be better than nothing.  The first type is the Discount Card.  This plan offers a discount on services at in-network providers.  The second type is the Mini Med plan.  This plan only pays a set amount for a limited number of benefits.  With either of these plans make sure you understand the small print and how the plan actually works.
9. Major Medical Plans.  These are extremely high deductible plans usually with deductibles of over $10,000 per accident or illness but they are also much lower cost.  It seems like a huge deductible especially per illness but if you look at the costs of having a single accident, it begins to make sense.  My daughter was in an accident 10 years ago and had a skull fracture.  She was medevac’d to the university where she was in a coma for 3 days in the pediatric ICU.   Ten years ago, the bill was over $60,000 for the hospital alone not including the physician’s bill and the helicopter fees.
10. Auto Insurance Medical Payments.  Almost every auto insurance company offers medical payments with their policies. Medical payments is a no fault coverage for the insured and anyone in the car or involved in the accident.    It is not a replacement for health insurance but it is a low cost hedge against the possibilty that you might be hurt in an accident and need medical care.
11. Shop Around. We don’t normally compare prices for our doctors but if you don’t have insurance, it can help.  There can be vast differences in the cost of health care and prescriptions.  Check around and see which end of the scale your doctor is on and the same with pharmacies.  Pharmacies can offer different prices on different types of medication.  Walmart offers $4 prescriptions and Walgreen’s does also.

I hope that these will help a few of you.  I have had to learn them the hard way and it has been a costly process in terms of both my help and my budget.  If you have found additional ways to save, please feel free to chime in with a comment.

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Tags: frugal living, Health Care, health insurance