How do I find a primary care physician that will work with me on a self-pay (i.e. non-insurance) schedule?

You could ask around with other people in your area to see if they have any recommendations. Other than that, calling around and asking each one is probably your best bet.

have you told the offices that you called that you will be dealing on a cash basis? I knew someone who did that and the doctors gave them a discount.

@Seaofclouds That’s what I was afraid of. Well if I need to keep doing that until I can find a doctor at least under $100 then I will.

Any suggestions on what sort of things I should ask? For instance, I’ve been calling and asking
1) Are you taking new patients?
2) Does the doctor have experience treating my conditions X, Y, Z?
3) Do you have any sort of self-payment program for uninsured patients?

Usually one of these 3 questions turns out to be no, or the consultation fee is just too high.

Thanks for the advice!

@marinelife No I haven’t tried that yet but I will certainly give it a shot.

Please don’t malign “doctors who are in it for profit”, because it’s unlikely that you do work for free, either, or even for “less than cost”. The rate that your doctor charges has to cover not only his time and personal expense, but the overhead for his office, as well, including the staff he keeps there. So your best bet will be to find a doctor who has “low overhead”. You can do that by finding doctors in, for example, inner city areas where rents are low, doctors with minimal staffing, and doctors who see patients relatively quickly, or who specialize in charity cases.

Doing that will help you save money up front, but it may not “save you money”. I’m reminded of a cartoon (a boating cartoon, but it’s appropriate to this situation) where two boat marinas are compared side-by-side. In the first, the place is gleaming in the sunlight, everything is stowed shipshape and just-so, there’s plenty of well-maintained equipment strategically placed in the yard, and everyone there seems crisp, clean, professional and well-groomed. The caption is: A Cheap Boatyard. On the next panel is an evocative drawing of a shabby building, grass growing through cracks in the paving all around, a smoky woodstove fire providing heat to a group of slovenly, unshaven, potbellied rednecks sitting around doing nothing. The caption is: An Expensive Boatyard.

If you attempt to get treated for “less than cost”, then you have to present yourself as a charity case.

A doctor who charges $120 for a visit but gives you good exams, proper diagnoses and treatment, and doesn’t waste your time… might be a bargain.

You might want to ask for their billing department once you know they are accepting new patients. The front desk staff that normally answers the phones don’t always know all the deals the billing department will make with their patients in order to get paid. That may get you some more accurate information about what’s possible at each office.

I would just say that you are uninsured and will be a self-pay patient and you want to know what policy they have in place for patients such as yourself.

Call the nearest homeless shelter and ask who they recommend. They’re really in touch with the needs of people with income limitations and insurance issues in need of medical care. :)

We have several “Drop in” clinics in our area that take cash patients on a sliding scale based on need. They are mostly for acute need, such as cuts, sprains and breaks. We also have medicare and medical for indigent patients, but they require registration first, and usually long waits in the waiting room.