Is there help for one who cannot afford to go to the doctor or buy medication?

Medicaid. And no, it’s not the doctor’s job. Talk to someone at the receptionist’s desk and they can direct you to someone in billing that will give you info. Also go here: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicaideligibility/

Get your pills and whatnot from a chemist website , loads going about . If the Dr can’t or won’t give medication , yet you still want it then find a dealer they have a wide range of medications .

Check out this site for the Health Resources and Services Administration. There are programs in place to provide care and medications on sliding fee scale.

This, and people in the States still think a civilized system where health care is a basic right is a bad idea?

Doctors often have a backstock of medication “samples” that they might be able to give you for free, to get you through for a little while. Also, some of the drug companies have programs for those who cannot afford – check with the maker of your drug.

There are also sometimes low-cost or sliding scale clinics. I don’t know where you live.

@Janka – yep. People don’t know how they will afford to pay for someone else’s care, either. ;) (Not saying I agree…)

@Janka – Fearmongering..

It all kind of depends. As others have said, try Medicaid, HRSA, state or county human service organizations, or go to public health clinics, if there are any in your area.

If you go to a dr in a large practice, you probably have to deal with a billing person, however, you should still discuss it with your dr. If it’s a sole practitioner, you have to talk to the dr. They will often be sympathetic and offer care at no cost or a reduced cost. It can’t hurt to ask. Don’t be ashamed to ask.

If worst comes to worst, go to an emergency room. They have to treat you. You’ll be a “self-pay” patient. They know that many people can’t afford to pay (and ERs cost a lot more). If you can’t pay, you can negotiate with them for reduced costs. At least ask. In the end, if you can’t pay, it will hurt your credit rating, but frankly, your health is much more important that your credit rating.

Go get care! Don’t wait. I don’t care if it turns out to be nothing. Your health is more important than anything else. Without it, you can’t live or your quality of life could be severely diminished. And frankly, politically speaking, the more patients who can’t pay, the more physicians will start screaming for a real universal health insurance program. They don’t like insurers any more than we do.

You can get medications without having insurance, and if it’s generic..it’s still rather inexpensive.
Seeing the doctor is a different story. Do you have a primary care physician that you’ve seen for years? Sometimes they’re willing to work with you. Also, they know not to do the unnecessary expensive testing.
There are also “Urgent Care Centers” usually in Walgreens or in the not so great part of town, filled with PAs (physician assistants) that are wonderful and help with minor issues.

Many doctors and practices are willing to negotiate. If you mention to your doctor that you don’t have insurance and can’t afford to pay much, odds are very good that he or she will be able to arrange a payment plan. Also, depending on what medication you need, it may not actually be that expensive—some common medications can be had for less than $10 for a month’s supply. You should try that route first, if your problem isn’t urgent. You’re unlikely to be on the hook for more than $100 for a doctor’s office visit.

And if that doesn’t pan out, you can go to the emergency room—but as @daloon notes, that will cost you—it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to get through an ER visit for less than $2000—$3000. Both times I’ve had to go in recent years, the bill wound up being over $10,000. (This is why I don’t complain about my health insurance premiums.) You can get out of that without it destroying your credit rating, but you need to take the initiative to set up a payment plan, even if it’s only $10 a month, and you need to be diligent about actually paying it off. Otherwise, it will destroy your credit.

And, while you’re on the phone figuring all this out, call your Senator or Representative and explain to him or her that this partisan bullshit bickering over health care reform is just that—partisan bullshit bickering.

As far as medications are concerned, if you live where there is a Walgreens pharmacy you could take advantage of their Prescription Savings Club, which I think is $20 a month for an individual. It isn’t very expensive but gives you access to any generics they carry with a low co-pay. You can enroll in it here

You could check with other large chains to see if they offer something similar.

Walmart also has a low cost prescription plan. You could look up your medicnes at their site to see if the medicine you need is on their list, and talk to your doctor about prescribing generics. Most doctors are willing to help you get what you need if it’s available. They also help by giving samples whenever possible. Let your doctor know about you financial needs as far a prescriptions go. You’d be surprised how helpful your doctor can be with this situation. They are usually more concerned about your well being than the drug company’s pockets.

I would suggest trying a free clinic and if possible going to the closest county hospital and speaking to their social worker… they can usually help you find out what you can do to get the care you need without breaking the bank.

I had forgotten that some Walgreens’ also have something called the Take Care Clinic staffed with Nurse Practitioners and Physicians Assistants. They don’t treat everything, but they do treat most of the common stuff, as you can see from the list. Their prices seem reasonable.

And back when I was a poor recent graduate I did use the free clinics. They had a sliding scale and asked you to pay what you could. However, the places tended to be crowded and definitely furnished with scavenged furniture and equipment. But it was health care that I could afford.

The US healthcare system sounds really complicated, not at all egalitarian. The New Zealand healthcare system is certainly not perfect but sheesh…

@Adagio – It is complicated because, like Topsy, it just grew. Because insurance coverage through work was so common for so long there are no really good alternatives now that companies are reducing the benefits they offer. It’s a hodgepodge of different systems, programs and plans that leaves about 30 million people uninsurable even by government programs such as Medicaid.

@Darwin like I said, sheesh…. Why do people put up with that?

I have a Community Services card (low income earner), it costs me $25 to see the doctor, $12 if I want a prescription from the doctor without actually seeing him, $3 per prescription item at the pharmacy, public hospital Accident and Emergency treatment is free as is a stay in a public hospital. I know where I would rather be living, especially as I have a serious chronic health condition.

If you have a problem that requires regular Dr visits, your Dr already knows. He may not even be charging you his full fee. Dr’s are as aware as anybody else if you are not covered by insurance that medical care is a stretch.

Basically the only thing you can do is seek free clinic or subsidized care and stay as healthy as possible by staying clean, eating right, avoiding risky activities. You might also think about getting political about health care reform. We were warned of what was on the horizon 15 years ago but the fear of not being able to have a private Dr put a kybosh on Clinton’s medical reform.Well we can all pick our own Dr’s, we just can’t pay for them. Put the pressure on your Congresspersons now or in another 15 years you will be paying more for a Dr visit than your monthly rent.

@Adagio: People don’t put up with it, which is why there’s this ongoing national discussion right now about how best to solve the problem.