Most people know how expensive healthcare is in the United States and that insurance details are typically required before any treatment takes place. But what happens if you do not have any insurance? Will you be denied treatment?
Is There Free Healthcare in America?
If you are on a low income and cannot afford to pay for healthcare insurance, you would rightly be worried that you would have a problem when it comes to accessing treatment for any medical issues that you or your dependents might have.
Thankfully, there are a couple of programs that will enable some people to access free or low-cost health cover. These programs are the Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid. Accessing programs such as Medicaid will depend on where a person lives as the threshold for eligibility varies from one state to another.
There are certain healthcare services that are mandated by the federal government under Medicaid, but each state can then choose whether to increase the cover or not. States can increase the income threshold above the Federal Poverty Level, and all but twelve have opted to do this. Many of the states that have increased the threshold have set it at 38 percent higher than the Federal Poverty Level. In the District of Columbia, the threshold is between 115 and 121 percent higher. The income threshold that a person must meet to qualify for Medicaid often depends on whether or not the individual is employed but, in most cases, these rules do not apply to those with a disability, the elderly, children, and pregnant women.
Is Emergency Healthcare Free in the USA?
Federal law states that anyone visiting a hospital ER should be provided sufficient care, regardless of whether they have the ability to pay or not. As one might imagine, patients without insurance often make visits to their nearest ER for medical treatment that may not be urgent. Patients without insurance cannot be turned away from an ER.
How Much Does It Cost to Visit a Doctor Without Insurance?
The cost of visiting a doctor in the United States varies. There are a number of factors that will influence the price, and these include the state where you are living, the type of doctor you are visiting, and whether or not any treatment is required.
A consultation could set you back between $300 and $600, but you can expect to be charged more if you require any tests.
You should note however that even with insurance, you may have some money to pay. This will depend on whether you have already paid your full deductible as well as the type of plan that you have. If you have not met the deductible, you may be expected to pay the full price of certain services.
The Benefits of Medical Insurance
Although medical insurance can be expensive, there is no doubting the benefits of having it. The experts at Find-A-Code.com (findacode.com) who make NPI lookup quick and easy, say that having a plan in place will protect against unexpected medical bills that can end up being extremely high. With the right insurance plan in place, you will be eligible for free preventative services such as screenings, check-ups, and vaccines, and this is before the deductible is met.
Even those who are young, fit, and healthy should consider healthcare insurance. Accidents can happen to anyone and the average cost of visiting an ER is between $700 and $1,000. With the right plan in place, the majority of these bills will be covered by the insurance company.
Infographic provided by Family Love Care, a trusted resource for the medicaid caregiver program
