People go for health insurance so that they can have some financial reprieve when they find themselves in medical situations where they need to spend a lot of money on treatments, procedures, and drugs. It is always a good choice, and one which everyone should consider and not wait to fall sick then see just how important it is to have a medical insurance. However, there are certain people who don’t have health insurance for one reason or another.
Either they don’t just want to get insured – which is a very bad decision, or they can’t afford to have a medical cover. Either way, you expose yourself to a myriad of risks when you don’t have medical insurance. It means that you will have to pay for all your medical bills out of pocket, and this may sometimes be very expensive. If you don’t have a medical cover for whatever reasons, all hope is not lost since you can still get quality medical care at affordable rates, only that you will have to do some work. To help make your work easier, here are some of the options worth exploring in the absence of a health insurance-:
Shop for doctors, hospitals and urgent cares
Though most medical facilities have their main objective in offering health care services, they are usually businesses who also seek to be profitable at the end of the day. And just with businesses in any other industry, they will always have different rates on the various services they are providing. If you don’t have a medical cover and you want to find where you will not pay a lot of money healthcare services, take time and shop for doctors, hospitals and urgent care centers who could be within your budget.
Make calls to different facilities to know what they would charge for consultation fees so that you know in advance the facilities you can target when the need arises. Also ask around for the rates of performing different procedures so that you have an idea of what the affordable facilities are according to your budget. If you don’t have medical insurance, then this is one thing you want to do in good time, not when you are sick and you urgently need to see a doctor.
Pay in advance for ask for reduced rates
Most medical facilities will charge you lower rates if you don’t have a medical cover, but still, you need to ask for reduced rates. Remember, these are businesses, and in as much as they want to offer you with quality health care services, they wouldn’t wish that you go to another facility simply because you find them to be relatively expensive. In most cases, if you ask the doctor for a reduced rate, they are likely to give in and offer you the services at a slightly cheaper cost.
Again, you may find some facilities where you may be given reduced rates if you choose to pay in advance. For example, if you are expecting to deliver soon, and you pay for the baby delivery in advance, you may be treated at very nice rates. Such a provision may also be available for medical tests as well as other procedures where it may be possible to pay an advance payment.
Call and pay in cash
After you are treated and given your medical bill, it is prudent to call the facility and discuss payment plans with the healthcare provider. With most facilities, you will always be offered very good discounts if you are willing to pay the whole amount in cash. If you have the money available and you are willing to make the payment immediately, you should always move in and clear the bill and take advantage of any available discounts. It is not advisable that you wait till the facility or the doctor calls you and inquire about how you intend to make the payment. In such a case, they may decide to send you a collection agency, and this may not be very convenient for you.
Learn how to save on medication
Medications can be very expensive if you don’t have health insurance, and if you don’t want to spend a lot when paying out of pocket, you need to know how to save properly when it comes to the medication. The first trick is to ask the doctor for free samples. Doctors usually have lots of free samples from drug manufacturers and they will most likely give them to you if they happen to have the right samples for your condition. Again, you can always ask for generic drugs which will usually cost less but will still get the job done.
You also have the option of comparing drug prices from pharmacies so that you know where you will spend the least amount of money when you need to make the purchase. You will be surprised at the price fluctuations between pharmacies since some of them are unnecessarily expensive and you can always avoid them if you take your time to shop around.
Consider lawsuit loans
If you got injured in a car accident and you are out of funds to continue meeting your medication and normal bills, you may resort to lawsuit loans to get some financial reprieve until your case is settled. With this type of legal funding, you are given an agreed amount of money which you agree that the lender will recover once your case is settled. As such, you won’t have to worry about making any repayments until that day that you get a settlement from your case. If the case doesn’t have a positive settlement, you won’t have to repay the loan. These loans have always come to the financial rescue of many, though they may come with heavy interest rates.
Think about getting a health insurance
Failing to have insurance leaves yourself greatly exposed financially when diseases come calling. With so many healthcare insurance providers available, take time and research a few so that you can identify the most affordable ones you can work with. It will worth every penny when you fall sick and you are faced with huge medical bills.
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