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Question about health coverage

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 12:59
I have had epilepsy since I was about 10 years old (I'm 24 now), and I'm currently taking medication for seizures. The meds I'm taking (Carbatrol) aren't helping, despite doseage increases. I need to see a doctor to find out my options. Enter problem: I'm an uninsured student who only works part time. I don't have insurance, and while there are some programs in my area (such as a privately run free clinic) I seem to fall into the category of unhelpable. The privately run clinics are general practitioners and all they really do is say I need to see a neurologist. There's no way I can afford that, not to see the specialist, and certainly not for the tests they'll undoubtedly schedule. My question is, does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do financially? Any programs available to help uninsured folks? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Comments

Re: Question about health coverage

Submitted by Matt74 on Sun, 2011-03-20 - 00:44
If you are a student you should be able to get insurance through your school. It's usually required for enrollment. Having said that, the school insurance is usually the catastrophic kind and might not cover much as far as your epilepsy goes. You have the option of a government insurance plan (part of Obamacare): http://www.healthcare.gov/law/provisions/preexisting/index.html I'm not a fan of this, but it's there if you need it, and I may end up on it myself. If you are having seizures you need to see a doctor. Even without insurance you can see a neurologist or epileptologist. I would strongly suggest going to an epileptologist. You can afford it. You may not be able to afford one at a hospital, but there are lots with private practices. Tell them you don't have insurance and they will most likely give you a discount (as much as 1/2 off). The first visit may be more expensive than follow ups. You can decide how often you see them. You have the option to get or not to get any tests they ask for. Just tell them you can't afford it. The only exception is probably blood work, but tell the doctor to order ONLY what they absolutely must have (this may save a few hundred dollars - a medication level is not that expensive, some of the other stuff, like liver function, is). Some labs are more expensive than others, again hospitals are expensive. Sometimes there are labs in medical professional buildings. This is a good discount drugs program that I have used: http://www.familywize.org/ You might be able to get discounted or free medication from the manufacturer. Go here and apply to see what you might qualify for. You will probably need your doctor to fill something out (a general practitioner can do this). http://www.needymeds.org/ (http://www.pparx.org/ is the one I have used, but the site was down as of two minutes ago). You can also try calling the Epilepsy Foundation in your area. - Matthew

Re: Question about health coverage

Submitted by phylisfjohnson on Sat, 2011-09-03 - 13:05

Tjhey probably won't let me post all the links here, so please go to my website and in the search box key in "Health Insurance -- No Cost & Low Cost" and you'll find a bunch of options there.

Phylis Feiner Johnson

www.epilepsytalk.com

Tjhey probably won't let me post all the links here, so please go to my website and in the search box key in "Health Insurance -- No Cost & Low Cost" and you'll find a bunch of options there.

Phylis Feiner Johnson

www.epilepsytalk.com

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