Unemployed and Uninsured

If you watch the news at all you’re hearing a lot about medical insurance, whether the government should control it – or not. I’m not interested in personal feelings on this topic or not, I know where I stand on the issue and I don’t want this blog to turn into a personal soap box.

I know I fall in the category, like thousands if not millions of others, that are not insured and can’t afford to be. I am not lucky enough to have a job at all, let alone one that provides medical insurance. I don’t have dental insurance either.

Does that mean I don’t get sick? Not at all! I have been able to be sick less since I figured out my allergies, but I still get sick. The beginning of this year I had a case of reoccurring bronchitis and and upper respiratory infection. Once a month I’d get sick enough and have to go to the doctor. For three months, like clockwork I’d end up at the doctors office with the same thing again. Each month the doctor gave me a zpack and said I should be fine.

I consider myself lucky enough my doctor works with me. He knows I do not have a job, his son is about to graduate college and is in the same position.  He gives me a discount on the office visit, and goes out of the way to find where I can get my prescriptions cheaper. He has even told me not to fill it until I hear from him. He only requests I keep my account balance at zero and when I do make enough money to pay the full price to do so.

Originally I had started seeing this doctor when I had insurance when I moved out this way. Even then I only saw him once a year for my physical and when I had to. But there was a trust by the time I was laid off – it wasn’t a new patient relationship.

So what should you do if you are unemployed, uninsured and sick?

• Talk to your current doctor, let them know what is going on and they might work with you like mine does.
• If you qualify – apply for state assistance. It’s there for a reason!
• If you are on prescriptions, find out if you can get them generically. They are much cheaper. If there is an alternative for your medication that is over the counter give it a try! I did this with allergy medications and dropped my monthly cost from $200/month to under $10!

Don’t hold off going to the doctor because you are uninsured. It’s better to get treated when it’s a small problem than a large problem.