Womens Health Free Clinic

***Please note: Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Womens Free Clinic is closed until further notice. If you need care, visit one of our health centers in NYC. It doesnt matter if you dont have insurance no one is turned away. ***

The Womens Health Free Clinic became the nations first comprehensive, free, student-coordinated womens health clinic. The clinic is a partnership between New York University School of Medicine, the Reproductive Health Access Project, and the Institute for Family Health. The Womens Health Free Clinic is opened two Saturdays per month please call for a schedule.

The Institute for Family Health at 17th Street230 West 17th Street

Dependents For Taxes & Health Insurance

According to healthcare.gov, if you can count someone as a dependent on your taxes, theyre also a dependent on your health insurance plan. Whats more, you are required to provide health insurance for anyone whom you claim as a tax dependent. So if you intend to include a child or other relative as a tax dependent, you should also make sure theyre included in your health insurance plan.

Free And Discounted Medical Services

• To find a dentist, search Dental Clinic List for North Carolina.
• The Department of Health and Human Resources Provides funds to Health Centers, hospitals, and other care facilities to help people get health care they can afford. To see if these are offered in your area, see below.
• Find a Health Center: Health Centers provides health and dental care to people of all ages, whether or not they have health insurance or the money to pay for health care.
• Find Hospitals and Other Facilities: Hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities are required to provide a specific amount of free or below-cost health care to people unable to pay. Eligibility is based on the size of your family and your income.
• Find HIV/AIDS Care: Ryan White HIV/AIDS Programs are one option for uninsured and under-insured people living with HIV/AIDS for primary health care and support services.

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Other Types Of Health Coverage

Other types of health coverage are sold in California, but if it will be your main source of coverage, you should make sure that it meets minimum essential coverage requirements. If your policy does not meet these requirements, you might have to pay a tax penalty to the IRS as if you did not have coverage at all.

High-Deductible Plans

These plans have lower premiums but high deductibles. The deductible each year can be over $5,000 for an individual and over $10,000 for a family. This means that you must pay a lot of money each year before your plan covers anything except preventive care.

Usually a high-deductible plan is combined with a Health Savings Account . You or your employer can put tax-free money into a savings account and use this money to pay your deductible.

Limited Benefit Plans

Limited benefit plans are also called mini-meds. They provide very limited benefits. They are advertised on TV as low-cost health insurance. You should read the policy very carefully. If you have a serious illness, you might run out of coverage quickly. These plans do not count as full health coverage and you may end up paying a penalty at the end of the year if you don’t have other coverage.

Discount Plans

Supplemental Health Insurance Policies

• What are the limitations and exclusions?
• How does the policy coordinate benefits with your main health insurance?

Why is Minimum Essential Coverage Important

What Services Are Covered At No Cost

• COVID-19 testing
• Testing-related in-person or telehealth visits

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How To See A Doctor Without Insurance

First and foremost, people should not avoid going to the doctor strictly because of cost. It could cost your health and your wallet more down the line if you postpone getting the care you need. Even if you dont have health insurance, you can still see a doctor and receive medical treatmentpreventive care, acute care, urgent care, or emergency care. The difficult part is to find services that are affordable. The best places to start are community health clinics, walk-in clinics, and direct care providers.

Does My Health Insurance Plan Include Prescription Drug Benefits

Most health plans help pay the cost of covered prescription drugs. Insurers often use a formulary that lists what medicines will be covered and how much of the cost youll pay. If you need a specific prescription, you should review your plans formulary, which is a listing of what medications are covered, to learn if the drug is covered. A formulary usually has different tiers based on the type of covered medicine. Prescription medicines listed in one tier may cost you more than those in another tier .You may have to pay the full cost of prescription medicines until you reach your plans deductible for the year. Prescriptions that you pay for will count toward your annual out-of-pocket maximum.

You can ask your insurance company for an exception if a drug you need is not on your plans formulary. If the insurance company denies your request, you may be able to file a medical necessity appeal to the Office of Patent Protection.

Many drug manufacturers also offer discounts if you are having difficulty paying for your prescription.

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Whats Not Required To Add Your Children As Dependents

Besides keeping track of whats required to claim your child as a dependent, you should also remember what isnt required to claim a child as a dependent:

• Living with parents: Your child doesnt have to be living with you at the time you enroll them in your health insurance plan, provided theyve lived with you long enough to meet the residency requirement.
• : your child is still eligible for coverage if he or she is married or has children.
• Enrolled in school: it doesnt matter if your child is enrolled or not enrolled in school.
• Eligible for employer-based coverage: you can still add your child to your health plan even if they chose to not enroll in their employers health insurance plan.
• Tax status: you can add your child to your plan even if you dont claim them as a tax dependent.

As long as your children meet these other requirements, you can usually still include them in your coverage.

Ways To Get Medical Care Without Health Insurance

Go to a low-cost or free clinic

When making an appointment at a free or low-cost clinic, say you want a doctor to look at a spot on your skin that could be skin cancer.

Follow-up appointment

Bring the form that you received at the skin cancer screening to your follow-up appointment.

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How To Enroll And Get Answers To Your Questions

You can learn more about and apply for ACA health care coverage in several ways.

• Visit HealthCare.gov to apply for benefits through the ACA Health Insurance Marketplace or you’ll be directed to your state’s health insurance marketplace website. vary by state.

• Find a local center to apply or ask questions in person.

• Download an application form to apply by mail

Find the answers to common ACA questions about submitting documents, getting and changing coverage, your total costs for health care, tax options, and more.

Using Your Home Equity

Home equity loans are borrowed against the value of your home that is greater than the balance of your mortgage. For example, if your home is currently worth $300,000, but you owe only $200,000 to the bank, you may be able to borrow against the $100,000 in equity.

It is typically easier to obtain this type of loan than an unsecured loan because the house is your collateral. This type of loan also provides a tax break as the interest is tax-deductible like a standard mortgage.

Keep in mind that if you are unable to make the payments on a home equity loan, the consequences can be dire. Failure to pay the loan back can result in foreclosure and eviction from your home.

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I Am Covered Under Someone Elses Health Insurance Plan Will The Health Department Bill That Persons Insurance

Yes. Please note: Many health insurance providers send an Explanation of Benefits to the policy holder with details of the visit. The EOB will also show if a copayment is owed.

If you are concerned about the EOB being sent to the policy holder, you can contact your health insurance provider and ask for it to be sent to another address, or you can choose to pay for the visit yourself using the sliding scale.

Will The Health Department Send Anything To My Home Such As A Bill Financial Statement Or Receipt

No. The Health Department will not send you any bills, financial statements or receipts.

Please note: Many health insurance providers send an Explanation of Benefits to the policy holder with details of the visit. The EOB will also show if a copayment is owed.

If you are concerned about the EOB being sent to the policy holder, you can contact your health insurance provider and ask for it to be sent to another address, or you can choose to pay for the visit yourself using the sliding scale.

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Can Providers Refuse Treatment

It is illegal and unethical for medical institutions to refuse care to any patient in an emergency.

The Patient Advocate Foundation lays out the following situations that qualify as an emergency: a life-threatening incident, an incident where bodily function is seriously impaired, or any instance of a pregnant person in labor.

Non-emergency situations are not as clear cut. In general, public institutions are more accommodating of low-income or uninsured patients than private institutions.

Its always worth asking whether a facility accepts uninsured patientsoften you can look it up online. When you do your research on pricing, do a quick check to see what the institutions policy is on caring for the uninsured.

Insurance Solutions For People With Pre

Southeast Insurance Solutions Offers affordable health insurance coverage for North Carolinians who do not have access to an employer sponsored health plan and whom have been denied individual coverage, had benefits excluded and/or have higher premiums because of pre-existing medical conditions. Go to Inclusive Health NC Health Insurance Risk Pool to see if you are eligible.

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New York City Free Clinic

The Institute for Family Health at 17th Street230 West 17th Street 206-5200

Hours

Saturday mornings, 9am-1pm . You must make an appointment to visit the Free Clinic. Call 212-206-5200 to make an appointment. Before your appointment, we will ask you if you have any COVID-19 symptoms or if you had a positive COVID-19 test in the last 14 days. If so, we will ask you to schedule an in-person or telehealth appointment at one of our health center locations. Visit the New York City Free Clinic website for more information.

What To Do If You Have A Problem With Your Policy

Contact your health plan to resolve your problem.

• Talk to your doctor and call your health insurer. Sometimes talking solves the problem.
• You can file a complaint with your health plan. A complaint is also called a grievance or appeal.
• Generally, your insurance company must make a decision within 30 days.
• If your health problem is urgent, your health insurance must do an Expedited Review. It must be done as soon as possible, in 72 hours or less.

If you are not satisfied with your health plan’s review process or decision, call the California Department of Insurance . You may be able to file a complaint with CDI or another government agency.

If your policy is regulated by CDI, you can file a complaint at any time. The CDI reviews cases that involve:

• Disagreements about the services your health plan must cover.
• Termination or cancellation/rescission of your insurance policy.
• Exclusions and limits on services that are usually covered.
• Timely access to medical care.

My claim was denied. Now what?

Your health insurance policy tells you how to appeal if your plan denies your claim or pays less than you think it should.

You have a right:

• To receive an explanation of your plan’s grievance and appeal procedures.
• To file a complaint, also called a grievance or appeal, with your plan.
• To receive an easy-to-understand written decision on your appeal.
• To file a complaint with CDI, Call 1-800-927-4357 or visit www.insurance.ca.gov.

Independent Medical Reviews

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Is An Er Visit Covered By Insurance

You can go to an emergency room on your own or you can take emergency transportation, like an ambulance. Under the Affordable Care Act , health insurance plans are required to cover emergency services. They also cannot charge you higher copays or coinsurance for going to an out-of-network emergency room.

How Much Does The Hospital Cost Without Insurance

For patients without health insurance, an emergency room visit typically costs from $150-$3,000 or more, depending on the severity of the condition and what diagnostic tests and treatment are performed.

People ask , what happens if I go to the hospital without insurance? Without coverage, youll be liable for the entire bill, both from the hospital or a doctor who accepts you as a patient. You can inquire about thecost of treatment ahead of time, outside of emergency situations, of course.19 mar. 2021

Also, can a hospital turn you away? Privately-owned hospitals may turn away patients in a non-emergency, but public hospitals cannot refuse care. This means that a public hospital is the best option for those without health insurance or the means to pay for care.

, how can I negotiate my emergency room bill?

, can a hospital refuse to admit you? A hospital cannot deny you treatment because of your age, sex, religious affiliation, and certain other characteristics. You should always seek medical attention if and when you need it. In some instances, hospitals can be held liable for injuries or deaths that result from refusing to admit or treat a patient.22 mar. 2017

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Free And Discounted Services

Do you lack health insurance? There are several free and discounted services that you may qualify for. These include free urgent care clinics and help with paying for your medications or health insurance. To find resources in North Carolina that offer free services or financial assistance for medical cost, see below.

To learn about health insurance in general, check out our Health Insurance page. To find a free and low-cost clinic nearby, check out the free Clinic Locator app.

What Other Options Do I Have To Find Free Or Low

If you are in specific need of family planning care, contraceptive counseling, and contraception dispensing, you can visit a designated Title X clinic. Title X is the federally-funded family planning program that makes these services available free of cost or at a nominal cost to anyone who needs them. You can find a Title X provider here.

Planned Parenthood health centers and a number of independent abortion clinics and reproductive healthcare providers also provide womens health services, from Pap smears to STD testing to annual exams to even basic primary care, on a sliding-scale basis. You can find a Planned Parenthood clinic in your area here and an independent womens clinic here.

If you need help applying for coverage, call us at .

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Can I Visit An Urgent Care With No Insurance

An urgent care center is a place that anyone can go for immediate treatment of minor injuries. Most people visit urgent care centers for cuts, fractures, burns, sore throats or infections. If the patients condition requires more treatment than the urgent care center can provide, he or she will be sent to a hospital emergency room or a doctors office. For those without insurance, it will come as good news to know that they can visit urgent care with no insurance.