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No Health Insurance
I'm almost 20, I'm living on my own and I don't have health insurance. I have many reasons to believe I could have melanoma (skin cancer.) For the past several months I have been stressing and worrying about it. And the only way to calm my nerves is to go to the doctor to get checked out. Unfortunately, I don't have the money to get health insurance or to pay out of pocket (for the visits and tests they may need me to take). I have a good job, except that it doesn't offer medical insurance. And switching jobs is out of the question (I am in a position and time where I really can't.) Is there anything I can do to see a doctor without paying so much?
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Maybe give some free advice about: Health?
Every city and county has medical clinics that are either free/no charge for under privledged people or charge on a sliding scale based on your income.
Call 211 for information, look in the yellow pages under your county offices, call dermatologist and ask if they will accept the office visit fee up front but allow you to be billed for the tests.
Inquire, and you will narrow the doctor and medical help down sooner than not inquiring at all.
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First of all, do this: Get a couple hundred dollars together and go see a dermatologist. Explain your concerns and your financial situation. If you have a good job, $200 should be easy to come up with in a month if you avoid unnecessary spending. With one look, the dermatologist could set your mind at ease. Or he could recommend more testing. You may be eligible for sliding-scale fees at your local university hospital.
When you can, you should apply for high-deductible insurance. There is also a plan by Humana that cost us $80/mo for our daughter a few years ago, in which you get 4 visits per year for a $25 copay without having to pay the deductible.
You should examine your finances as well. If you have to have insurance to pay for a potentially deadly problem, then you make a way to pay for it. Does that mean driving an older car, changing living arrangements, eating cold cut sandwiches rather than going out, skipping the clubs, etc.? Have you purchased any clothes this month? You may be saying you can't afford $150 per month for health insurance. If you can't, then either you don't have as good a job as you thought or your spending priorities are not in balance with your concerns.
I don't mean to sound harsh, but I've been there and done that. And, just so you know, if you have to get treatment, work out something with the hospital/clinic. If you don't pay your medical bills, you could have to declare bankruptcy, but they can't eat you for lunch. It's better to be bankrupt than dead at age 19.
Sabine
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