Health Superbook #1 Book 4. Free & Low-Cost Medical Care & Drugs

The federal government helps indigent people with medical care through medicaid.gov.

Most states help out. They have the a state “medicaid” office. It’s usually a part of their state website

There are lots of NGOs and charitable organizations out there.

Everybody’s case is different.

This book is a good starting point.

Chapter 1. Help With Medical Treatment From the Government

Medical Assistance Info

Much of the medical assistance to low income people, seniors and children originates from Medicare, medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf.

For medical assistance programs from local and state governments, try their department of social services.

For most medical assistance from the state governments, the key words I've seen are "low income" and "medical assistance" so you either go to the general website of your state government or its medical website (dept of health) which is somewhere in this book and type the term "medical assistance" into it.
You can hope that you don't get sick but there's always a chance you'll get into an accident. You could go to the ER and get a bill or try other things.

Many "big-box" stores are opening small medical urgent care centers that will diagnose your illness and let you know if it's something minor or serious.

Typically these places are staffed by nurse practitioners or doctors. The price is under a hundred dollars.

The big department stores offer cheap prices on generic prescription drugs.

Ask your doctor for a generic version of your prescription drugs if there are any.

Get all diagnostic tests done privately and not at the hospital. Hospital emergency rooms are more expensive than a trip to the family doctor.

Try to avoid the hospital on weekends.

If your surgery doesn't require an overnight hospital stay, get it done on an outpatient basis.

Many people think that ambulances are free or covered by insurance but it is up to the insurance company to decide if your case is a true emergency and whether or not it will be covered by your policy.

Consider going to a nurse practitioner. They are cheaper than a traditional M.D.

There are prescription drug coupons around.

Prevention through good health is best.

If you have a specific disease, check with foundations and organizations focused on your disease or illness.

Catastrophic health insurance covers you for major expenses, such as those in a car accident. You can buy a personal or family catastrophic health insurance plan with a high deductible.

If you're healthy and have no pre-existing conditions, buy your own insurance with a licensed insurance agent in your state. There are some companies that will only give you headaches.

A high deductible policy isn't very expensive and it's better than having no insurance at all.

If you have children, it may be possible to buy inexpensive insurance through their schools.

Find a clinic that works on a sliding scale fee structure. If you don't have one in your area, call your regular doctor to see what you can work out.

Eat right, get enough sleep and be careful. The best way to save money on healthcare is to not get sick.

Check and see if your local medical school has a clinic. These are typically low-cost to free, to give the medical students an opportunity to practice. This works in a variety of areas like physician's assistant programs, dental programs, chiropractic programs, etc.

Some states have programs to insure children who have no health insurance.

It is possible to get individual insurance with a pre-existing condition but you need to shop around.

Never lie about your health. If you don't disclose a problem, they can reject your insurance at a later time and leave you with the bill.

Some counties have "school based health clinics" in the school for kids for free even if the family has health insurance.

Shop around for the best health plan.

Consider a high deductible