When things go wrong with your health it can be scary. Don’t know the first thing to do? Let me help you navigate from deciding on a doctor or Urgent Care, and which pharmacy to use. I’ll walk you through making the trip to the appointment, then to the pharmacy and all the ins and outs.
Doctor or Urgent Care
How bad are you feeling? If you’re not able to go to school or work, then chances are, you’re going to want to go to Urgent Care. If you’re not sure where one is then search Urgent Care clinics near me online. Most urgent care clinics don’t require you to have an appointment but be prepared to wait. They do see patients in order of first come first serve. These clinics will treat most acute illnesses and injuries that don’t require an emergency visit. They’re whole lot cheaper than an emergency room visit.
If you can wait, then I recommend you go see your family doctor or a doctor that you intend to use repeatedly. This way your illness is charted in your medical history. You never know if there could be something more serious to your illness. A doctor’s office visit should cost you less money.
Insurance or No Insurance
First things first! There are a couple of things that you’re going to want to do before you go to the doctor if you have insurance. First, make sure you have your insurance card. Second, make sure the doctor is a provider that’s covered under your insurance plan. Some doctors may not take your insurance.
Yes, it’s a pain in the butt, however, if you call the insurance company, they will tell you who you can use in your area. Also, ask what your co-pay is because you’ll have to pay that before the doctor will see you. Co-pay is an upfront bill you will have to pay and typically is not that expensive, with many charging in around $15.
Once you know who your insurance providers are, then you want to choose a doctor that’s best for you. You will want to choose a family doctor who covers all types of medical issues. If something else is going on, then they will refer you to a specialist.
How should you choose a doctor? Decide if you want a male or a female, young or old, or the first one that has an open appointment. Don’t make it too difficult, you can always change doctors. Your insurance may even recommend someone if you’re undecided. They may have recommendations based on experiences from other patients.
If you don’t have insurance, then you need to know that you are expected to pay the entire amount due up front. If you’re living on your own, you may want to check into Medicaid. It is an assistance program which serves low-income people of every age and can help with medical bills.
Appointment
Great, you’ve chosen a doctor. Now, you can call and set up an appointment. It’s easy, just google the doctor, their name and phone number should pop up along with their location. Remember to save the doctor’s number and address in your phone just in case. If something comes up, please remember to call and cancel your appointment out of courtesy.
It’s the day of your appointment. Two things; make sure you have money for your co-pay and make sure to be on time. Also, most doctor’s offices will call you the day before as a reminder, however, if they don’t, I recommend that you call them the day before your appointment to confirm.
Look at the location of the office. How long is it going to take you to get there? What time of day is your appointment? How will traffic affect your driving distance and time? Make sure to figure these factors in because most doctors are on a tight schedule and if you’re late they may not see you. Leave in plenty of time to get to where you are going.
When you get to your appointment, check-in, be sure to let them know that you are there. You don’t want to set there all day to not be seen. At this time, they will ask you to pay your co-pay.
Typical costs
Your typical costs for a doctor’s visit with insurance will more than likely be a co-pay. When you call to make an appointment, ask and they will tell you how much your co-pay is according to your insurance company. If your insurance doesn’t cover the rest of the office visit, then they will send you a bill for the remainder.
Usually, for just an office visit the co-pay is all you will have to pay. If you receive a bill from the doctor’s office, call your insurance company and ask if the doctor’s office has submitted a claim. Don’t worry about paying your bill right off, it’ll take a month or so for the insurance to pay.
If you need prescriptions filled, call several pharmacies to see who will be the cheapest. Yes, there will be a price difference and we all want to save money. I’d suggest starting with a pharmacy that’s located close to you, just so you don’t spend more money driving further.
Pharmacy
Going to the pharmacy? It’s really not a big deal. I highly recommend a drive-thru pharmacy because you may not feel well enough to get out of your car to go inside. However, if you know which pharmacy, based on your insurance, you are going to use, then your doctor’s office will call it in. Then all you must do is go through the drive-thru to pick it up.
If you don’t know which pharmacy you’re going to use, then the doctor will hand write you a prescription and you’ll have to go inside to have it filled. Which could work in your favor if you need some over the counter medicines as well, then turn your prescriptions in and shop while they are filling them.
Prescription vs Nonprescription
I mentioned over the counter, OTC, medicines in the above section. These are the medicines that your doctor doesn’t write a prescription for. Such as Tylenol, Ibuprofen, cough syrup, etc. The doctor or nurse will usually tell you which meds are OTC. OTC medications are not covered by your insurance company. It’s all up to you to pay for these meds, so I recommend the generic ones that cost less.
Prescription medications are the ones that must be filled by a pharmacist. You must hand them the prescription, unless your doctor’s office calls it in for you.
Most of these are covered by your insurance, just ask when you hand them the prescription an they will tell you how much you’re going to have to pay for the medications. Yes, you will have to pay a small amount for prescriptions. It’s not a set amount, each prescription has a different cost.
Emergency room, 911 and Ambulances
Let’s just say you can’t get out of bed. You are so sick that you can’t drive yourself to a doctor or urgent care clinic. You may want to call a friend or suck it up after what I’m about to tell you.
If you have a medical emergency, please do not hesitate to call 911. They will answer and talk you through any help that you may need. However, you may be billed a resident’s call. This cost differs from area to area, some charging as much as three hundred dollars.
If you need an ambulance, they will send one to help you. Ambulance rides are not cheap, and you don’t know which hospital they are going to take you to. You may be expected to pay as little as six hundred dollars for a ride. Bottom line make sure you need an ambulance. Otherwise, save yourself some money and call a friend. After all, are they really friends if they can’t drive you to the hospital?