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Medical Emergencies Without Insurance
How to Get the Help You Need Without Going into Debt
By Teri Brown
The options available may differ from one community to the next. A physician should know the community best and how to proceed. When dealing with something chronic or catastrophic, such as gland disorders or cancer, options change, as you are facing a long-term expenditure.
"Again, the first step is to talk to the family doctor, but realize that there is probably no way to get the care you need without considerable expenditure of family resources," Dr. Stewart says. "After you spend down to poverty level, then you can qualify for Medicaid to pick up the costs of your health care, but you need to be impoverished for that to happen."
If the family is already at or near the federal poverty level, then it may be time to seek out a Federally Qualified Health Center or a Rural Health Clinic. The federal government offers these clinics a subsidy so they can provide free or heavily subsidized care for people who do not have insurance.
"They also have developed a referral network for specialty care at subsidized rates and to assist patients in paying for medications," Dr. Stewart says. "But to qualify, you need to bring verification of income for the household in which you reside, and if you make a middle-class level of income, they will expect you to pay your full cost of care – which tends to be higher than it would be at your local doctor's office."
You should be able to find a listing of these local clinics at your area library.
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