How to get a “cost effective” medical care: Guide for uninsured people in NYC

What is the percentage of uninsured people in the NYC?

Back in 2014, about 12.4% (1,521,235 out of 12,268,024) of adult New Yorkers did not have health insurance. However, due to the decreasing tendency of uninsured individuals, this number dropped to 5.4% in 2019.

The table below summarizes information on characteristics of uninsured individuals (2014 estimates). ¹

Overview of how to be cost effective for self-pay people in NYC

Several things should be taken into consideration in order to save money and get the appropriate medical service.

Step 1. Assess your current medical condition.

You need to go to ER (emergency room) If you have a life threatening medical condition such as:

• Major Traumas
• Loss of consciousness
• Severe chest pain
• Massive, uncontrollable bleeding
• Severe allergic reaction which results in breathing difficulties

Remember: the emergency room medical service is needed ONLY in case of urgent, life-threatening conditions.

Otherwise, most patients visiting the emergency room, could get the treatment affordably at urgent care or primary care facilities. The latter options will significantly reduce their financial expenditure and especially waiting time.

Below is the algorithm to follow when you uninsured and need a doctor:

Step 2. Choosing the right health care facility. Pros and cons?

Once you determined your health status as non-emergency you can choose from two main options that is available in NYC for outpatient issues: urgent care and primary care facilities. Emergency room can still be an option if it is after 10 pm.

We will do price and quality comparison for you for all three options.

Price comparison

A table below summarizes the average medical service cost offered by the different types of the NYC health facilities for those who have no insurance.

Quality comparison

This is the summary of important quality comparison for ER, Urgent care and Primary care facilities:

Step 3. Contacting facility and asking right questions

Now you know pros and cons of different medical options in NYC.

It is time to do the online local clinic research and come up with a list of facilities that you want to contact.
We will separate step 3 into two parts:

• To avoid surprises and
• To reduce the final bill.

To avoid surprises:

This part you need to find out before your appointment

1. Ask the price of the medical service before scheduling the appointment.
2. Find out what is included in that price?

Usually, the mentioned price does not include blood test and imaging cost. It almost always comes at extra cost.

But some minor rapid tests such as: Rapid Strep test and Urine dip stick test (for UTI) are commonly included into the office price

3. Ask about possible discounts that the health facility may offer. Some clinics offer cash discounts.
4. Ask whether the health clinic offers a “sliding scale”. If yes, they can adjust the medical bill to your income level.

To reduce your final bill

These questions and requests you need to keep in mind while with a doctor, during your actual appointment.

1. Tell the doctor that you are uninsured and will make an out-of-pocket payment. Unless you tell, doctors usually do not know about your insurance status. It is important information for a doctor to keep in mind before offering you any testing and treatment.
2. If any test is offered ask:

• The approximate price for the test
• If it is absolutely necessary to get it done for your condition at this stage.
• If you can do the test after the initial trial of treatment (first step).

3. Ask about the most affordable treatment option for your condition- generic medication instead of brand.

Generic medication is not inferior to brand in terms of effectiveness and potential side effects.

I am an uninsured non-US citizen: What are my options?

Since November 3, 2019, it is recommended to have a valid US immigrant health insurance in order to get an immigrant US visa and be able to visit the country.

Though the latter is not mandatory, it is highly recommended due to the fact of US medical services being very expensive and history of “medical tourism” in USA (people from other countries took advantage of US healthcare system by traveling and getting expensive procedure at US taxpayers expense).

Those are the most common questions people asked us in the past:

Can I still get a service without being insured?
Yes. It is expected for most travelers from foreign country to have some sort of medical health coverage. However, if you did not buy health insurance and having unexpected health issue now you still can be seen as uninsured at any local clinics or even ER.

Can I get service using my home country health insurance in NYC or anywhere in USA?
No. You can get a service as a self-pay in USA, get the itemized receipts paper that you can submit to your health insurance for reimbursement.

Free medical care in NYC

Do you have free clinics in NYC?
Yes, free clinics available. Bot, those clinics mostly for uninsured US low income citizens.

These are Pros and Cons of the free NYC health clinics