How to Choose a Hospital With No Health Insurance?
Choosing a hospital when you don't have health insurance can feel like an insurmountable task. Concerns like quality of care, medical expense, and time away from work can all contribute to added stress. If you're going in for surgery the decisions to be made can seem even more daunting. Frequently people without health insurance get overwhelmed by an impending hospital visit, and with rising medical costs it's no wonder. There is a way to make the best possible decision in this choice, but it's going to require a bit of in-depth researching.
Many hospitals offer self-pay or private-pay options. This is what you will be looking at. Choosing your hospital can be made easier by breaking down the options into steps. Try researching one piece of information at a time to make it easier to process mentally. A good tip is to get a notebook where you will record all the necessary info into one collection so you can quickly see and summarize everything before making your final selection. This is going to be an important building tool and will help you from being overwhelmed with the sheer mass of figures gathered.
The first step is to find and write down in your notebook the names of all the hospitals available in the area you will be going. Include in your list the address and general information phone numbers to each of the hospitals. Compounding all area hospitals into one place means that you won't be digging through the yellow pages again later. This is going to be the basis of your research and information gathering: placing everything into one convenient location to make the reviewing process that will come later easier and more manageable.
Once you have your list of hospitals and their phone numbers ready, it's time to make some phone calls. Allow yourself ample time for this task, and if at all possible do it alone. Try to remove any distractions that will add to the stress of the situation. You want to be focused and able to write the info down. Make a separate page in your notebook for each hospital, and write the answers to every question you ask on that page. Head the page with the name of the hospital. The questions you are going to ask are going to be very important ones, so pay careful attention!
When you call the hospital's general information line, you'll first have to get the operator on the phone. Explain to them in detail the procedure or reason you'll need to come to the hospital and include the fact that you do not have health insurance. Ask to speak with someone who can help you answer your questions regarding the options in your case. The operator will then be able to direct your call to the appropriate person to help you. Once you have reached the correct person, you will want to first explain your situation in much the same way that you did to the hospital operator. Tell them you need information on the hospital's financial programs for uninsured patients.
The most important information you will need to ask revolves around the financial and healthcare aspects of your hospital stay. Many hospitals have payment plans- find out if this one does, what it is, and how much money is required upfront. Some hospitals also offer a financial aid program to qualifying patients, learn if and what that program may be at each hospital. The programs will vary with each hospital. Find out if you qualify and how you can apply. If you are having surgery, you'll also want to find out how long your in-hospital recovery will be, and if there is a required amount of days you must stay. This can affect the financial aspect of your trip drastically.
For every hospital on your list you'll need to make this phone call. The questions for all of them will be the same, and you should record all the responses on that specific hospital's page in your notebook. If you live in an area with a large amount of hospitals and time allows you to do so, consider breaking up these phone calls over a period of a few days. This can help you manage and process the information better.
Once you have made all the phone calls and have written down all the pertinent information, it will be time to review. Read over all the notes you made. Was there one hospital that you liked best? Or perhaps one fits into your budget better? Take all these things into consideration. Once you have made your decision, you can call that hospital and make your appointment! Don't forget to use your own intuition when making this decision either. Whatever procedure you will be using the hospital for you need to feel confident in your choice. Choose one that you feel safe with, trust and that you can factor into your budget. Following a guideline like this one makes a difficult task a bit more manageable, and everyone could use less stress!
