Comments on: [help] Low-Cost Health Care in Wichita

By: Veronica Hill

Veronica Hill — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 04:11:31 +0000

I also just got an email with this info:
“I just read your blog post about low-cost health care. One you missed – Planned Parenthood! They use a sliding fee scale based on household income and do annual well-woman checks (PAPs and all!), STI testing/treatment (for men and women), pregnancy tests, colposcopy if needed, and and the big one – contraception (including 5 for $1 condoms!).”

By: Steph-honey

Steph-honey — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:52:10 +0000

Andrea-and everyone else- if your doctor prescribes meds for you or your children and you find them cost prohibitive, don’t hesitate to tell the physician that! He or she may not have any idea how expensive the medicine is. Also, SHOP AROUND. I can’t emphasize this enough. Have a Sam’s membership? Get your prescriptions there! With or without insurance, it’s likely to be cheaper. Don’t assume your prescription coverage works like your regular health ins. Often, you pay a percentage: so if the pharmacy charges more, you pay more. If you are on a fixed co-pay, say $10 for generics and more for name brands, speak up and ask your doctor if there are generic meds that are as effective as the name brand they are prescribing. If they have a legit reason for wanting you to take the high dollar med, then they will tell you. If it is just their “go to” brand, then maybe you are the person who should give them a paradigm shift!
Remember, every pharmaceutical company offers programs for people who are truly unable to afford their prescriptions. Usually these are aimed at patients with no rx coverage, but more and more there are programs for laid off workers or those who’ve had hours cut and don’t qualify for ins anymore.

The medicine that (literally) keeps me going is nearly $300 a month. We have negligible prescription coverage, but I was offered a discount card from the drug company that’s good for 12 months. After processed through both “insurances”, I pay $180 or so. While that’s still a huge bite from my budget (and the reason we only have ONE car payment), this medicine works, so I’m willing to suck it up and do it. You can bet I’m holding my breath for the day it goes generic though!

By: Lori

Lori — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:42:05 +0000

I work for AMS Laboratory, who offers a Consumer Direct testing program. Doctor’s orders are not required for many lab tests, and you don’t pay anything for an office visit when you go direct to the lab. You get the lab report, and we send it to your doctor, if you want. Flyers are available that list the tests available and pricing.

My docs have called in prescriptions based on the tests without having an appointment, for things like strep throat or other infections, or adjusting dosages of prescription medications. Check with your own doctor, because not all will let you bypass their own labs.

By: Bailey Ketterman

Bailey Ketterman — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:24:49 +0000

I recently went to one of the Walgreens Take Care clinics. I have insurance, but they don’t accept it; even so, the visit (which was simple but lengthy) was only $75. I know, it feels wierd to even write “only” $75, but for a qualified nurse practitioner to see me for an ear infection on a Sunday morning? I would have given that ear just to make the pain stop! Add in the immediately-available $4 prescription, and I think it was a bargain.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:07:18 +0000

My cousin, who has health insurance, just spent $300 on medicine for her and her kids when they got the stomach flu and bronchitis. I can’t imagine the cost if they didn’t have insurance.

We had to change our kids’ dentist because they wanted $200 just to secure the appointment if it was for treatment (i.e. cavity filling). A normal appointment was still no cost to book and the $200 went toward the cost of the procedure, but as a one income family now, we just couldn’t swing it and don’t want to delay care because of cost. We hated to leave because we LOVED that dentist, but we just couldn’t do it.

By: Steph Barnard

Steph Barnard — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:21:00 +0000

I don’t have dental insurance, so I’ve had experience with a couple of the dental clinics on this list. I liked GraceMed a lot, but it’s virtually impossible to get them on the phone, so scheduling a followup appointment became problematic. Healthy Options is more accessible, but kind of pricey (if you don’t qualify for the income-based discount) and located in a decrepit building in a decrepit part of town. And I turned down getting a cleaning at WSU because I was told it would take three hours.

Sigh. I can has clean teeth? But, at least there are options.