I wish i had some info for you but i'm dealing with this now with out insurance too since i turned 26.

for me what really helped is i have a doctor that will call in my daimox when i need a refill ( so i don't have to pay to see a doctor)

and i also get my meds from walgreens where they have a card you have to pay for but it saves you a bit of money everytime you have to get more meds.

There are a lot of previous post on the subject of insurance and different sites that may be able to help. If you search the discussions for "insurance" you will get a list of previous post on the subject. I hope you will find something in one of the post that may be valuable to you both.

Kay

Can you get a government job? City, county, schools? Your coverage would begin immediately without exclusions. Can't think of anything else except calling United Way for assistance.

Unless a parent has insurance and you could get coverage through their policy till 26 yo. Its much less $ than private policy.

Hiya and welcome! If you live in one of the more progressive states there's sometimes state run programs to help with severe medical bills. Other than that, charity hospitals, man. If there's a state hospital nearby, they get benefits from the state if they forgive a certain amount of debt each year. The application process can be pretty humiliating but they'll often forgive massive bills like MRIs and the shotgunning tests doctors so love with only a few hundred in payment instead of thousands. Christian hospitals are usually pretty good with that too (anything with a Saint in it's name, or a Sacred) though with less humiliation. The awesome part of these is that, if there is such a hospital nearby, there's often specialists affiliated with the hospital you can see in the office and they run their bills through the hospital, so you can beg charity. Whether those specialists are any good is another question XD

If you can manage to get all of your doctors at one hospital, preferably a teaching hospital you can then apply for financial assistance, typically they have an application that is kept on file for one calendar year to assist uninsured patients with little to no cost involved. If you are asking for insight on how to manage without med assistance Angela has posted some very good things on better health management.

I'm 23 as well. I take it you're from the US? If so what state? I may be able to help you out or give accurate information to the best of my knowledge.

i feel really bad for you who dont have insurance. i live in canada and would never have to worry about that stuff. i hope there is some kind of funding out there for you

I thank you all very much. I just called my PCP and she is refilling my Diamox for me. UGH i hate that medicine as I am sure all of you are. It costs me 58 dollars. 500mg every other day. Thats not even the 750 mg/day I am supposed to be taking. Going to see them next friday and just to get in b/c i have no insurance is 100 dollars. then the pain meds. I cant keep eating this excedrine. I thank you all and my next day off I will look into all of this information. Thank you all so very much

I don't have insurance, either. It costs $70 to see my neuro. As far as diamox, I also have the 'W' card at Wal-greens. I think it costs $42 now per month. (I take 1000 mg per day.) So far I haven't had to have any LPs, other tests, etc. I selfpay at the eye doc too...last time they only charged me $50 for what should have cost over $200. I felt so blessed!!
Hope things work out for you the way you need them to.

Elisa

And to bulma. I live in Kentucky

I get what everyone is saying about people that don't have insurance but I often find that even with insurance I feel like I'm getting ripped off. I honestly believe that Drs offices have two pricing sheets, one for the uninsured and one that's triple priced for the insured because many of my out of pocket costs AFTER insurance are just plumb ridiculous. Now I am sympathetic to the unsure because I was like that for the longest but these medical bills are still kicking my behind and I just don't understand why. I mean get real, why do you think yo have the right to charge me $800 for a new patient consultation that lasted maybe 20 minutes and you didn't even touch me, just talked to me, that insane.

True, they do. Pharmacy has different prices too. You and your insurance is plundered to cover the medicaid, medicare, charity and deadbeat patients.

CNN, another tactic is to have you make appt for blood work. They have a lab company scheduled few times a week, you come in for draw, get BP and weighed so they collect co-pay and bill your insurance for an office visit. Some even want another appointment to discuss results. TIP: get lab slip and take to local lab, no additional fee and your blood is properly stored (not getting old sitting in a car during lunch break)!