How to see a doctor with no healthcare?

Been layed for awhile now and after years of never needing to see a doctor, low and behold I want to see a doc regarding some strange pains I've had. Needless to say, I don't have any healthcare insurance.
Anyone in the same predicament? My last health care plan was Kaiser so I can't call him and say "can I pay cash?". Should I just start calling random doctors in the phone book? This really sucks.

Any advice is appreciated.

If you can afford his fees, I don't see why he wouldn't want to see you. Cash is king, regardless of which business he's in.

You can also try the local health clinics; they're usually a little cheaper.

Lastly, if you need to see a specialist, be prepared to pay through the nose.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by DNW

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If you can afford his fees, I don't see why he wouldn't want to see you. Cash is king, regardless of which business he's in.

+1

You absolutely can pay cash. Make sure you let him know you'll be paying out of pocket so he doesn't pad his bills for insurance companies.

what a sad state of affairs the US health care is,im assuming you are a citizen...your country will let you die for it,tax you to death,but will NOT take care of you when you need it the most.
doesnt anubody else see a problem with this?
im in Canada,when i have a pain i go to a doctor (yes i may have to wait awhile,but it will not bankrupt ****** ) and get whatever i need checked/operated for free.
why is this so hard to grasp in your country,i just dont ******* get it and makes ME angry,i can only imagine how you feel

calm down frenchy.

its a business like any other, what part of that do you not understand? do you know how expensive it is to go to school to become a doctor? any idea how much it costs to maintain a place of quality work and keep it up to date? someone has to pay for it. health care in and of itself is not non-profit. if you dislike paying for health care benefits so much, then don't pay for it. no one is forcing you or salad.

back on topic: yes salad, you can absolutely call around and pay in cash. simply google around locally and schedule an appointment letting them know your needs. its not cheap, but you could certainly do it.

Almost every doctor I know takes cash with pleasure; dealing with insurance or even worse, the government, is much more difficult.

Originally Posted by frenchy

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what a sad state of affairs the US health care is,im assuming you are a citizen...your country will let you die for it,tax you to death,but will NOT take care of you when you need it the most. doesnt anubody else see a problem with this? im in Canada,when i have a pain i go to a doctor (yes i may have to wait awhile,but it will not bankrupt ****** ) and get whatever i need checked/operated for free. why is this so hard to grasp in your country,i just dont ******* get it and makes ME angry,i can only imagine how you feel
Just wanted to personally thank you for contributing so much to the thread by directly answering every single question of the OP. Took lots of thinking power AND effort!

Cash. Basic visits to my doc are $65.

No insurance ether.

Tell them you are paying cash. It's normally cheaper then what insurance would get.

Last doc I went to charged me $80 for a 5 mins visit, after waiting in a room for 1 hour for him to show up. But he fixed the problem, very smart guy.

thanks for the advice guys. suffered another sleepless night because of strange regularly timed dull ache/muscle spasms in the back of right knee. every 15-20mins. what does that? i'll call the doc and let him know the situation.

Simply tell the office staff you're paying cash for this and future visits. It's not what they commonly do, but they will help you. It's also true that the Dr. will order only the bare minimum in testing because he knows you're paying cash.

Wait...didn't Obama fix this?

Keep in mind if you need an xray, mri, etc then the price will greatly increase. But just a consult itself shouldn't be too bad.

Originally Posted by Sylvr

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calm down frenchy.

its a business like any other, what part of that do you not understand? do you know how expensive it is to go to school to become a doctor? any idea how much it costs to maintain a place of quality work and keep it up to date? someone has to pay for it. health care in and of itself is not non-profit. if you dislike paying for health care benefits so much, then don't pay for it. no one is forcing you or salad.

back on topic: yes salad, you can absolutely call around and pay in cash. simply google around locally and schedule an appointment letting them know your needs. its not cheap, but you could certainly do it.

then why can EVERY other western country do it except you guys?

Originally Posted by clubbyjones

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Just wanted to personally thank you for contributing so much to the thread by directly answering every single question of the OP. Took lots of thinking power AND effort!

its a forum moron,sometimes 2 cents are added FREE OF CHARGE unlike ur ****** health care.

Originally Posted by frenchy

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its a forum moron,sometimes 2 cents are added FREE OF CHARGE unlike ur ****** health care.

do french canadians pronounce douche like the french or like canadians?