Home Your State Health & Medical
Health & Medical
Doctors & Healthcare
(Includes Free or Low Cost Help)
Medical Bills
Medicine & Treatments
Insurance & Benefits (Includes
Medicaid & SSI)
Medical Directives/Living Wills
Related Topics
Children
Disabilities
Government
Insurance
Lawyers, Courts &
Self Help
Seniors
State Licensing
Boards
Wills & Probate
The Work Place
| Doctors | Managed Care (HMOs, Hospitals, etc.) |
| Medical Bills | Rules, Regulations & Complaints |
See also
Help To Pay Your Medical Bills (Consumer-SOS)
Find the government, non profit groups and foundations that help people with
paying their medical bills. Some of these are earmarked for specific
conditions such as cancer or kidney problems, others just help anyone who
financially qualifies.
Free or Low Cost Health Clinics (Consumer-SOS)
Free Or Low Cost OTC or Prescription Drugs (Consumer-SOS)
Can't Afford Your Co-Pays or
Health Insurance Premiums?
(Consumer-SOS)
Programs to help you
pay for expensive medicines or health insurance coverage.
Free or Low Cost Help For The Uninsured (Consumer-SOS)
Medical Billing Advocates To Help Cut Down Healthcare Costs (Consumer-SOS)
Managed Care (HMOs, PPOs, etc.)
Choosing A Health Plan
Getting Top Care/Complaints
Choosing A Health Plan
There are many things to consider when choosing a health plan. Some of
these include, the plan's comprehensiveness, i.e. what the plan covers, the cost of
this coverage, the limits on your choice of doctors or hospitals and the
complaint record of each provider.
FAQs, Tips & Advice
Profiles For Health Plans, Doctors & Hospitals
Referral Agencies
Choosing Quality Medical Care (Tips)
How To Choose A
Health Plan (Summary with lots of other links.)
Choosing An HMO (BBB)
Back To Top
Health
Plan, Doctor & Hospital Profiles
www.healthgrades.com
Free profiles on 600,000 doctors, 5,000 hospitals, 400 health plans, 17,000
nursing homes and more. Learn about the doctor's specialties, years
in practice, instances of misconduct, and ratings by their patients.
Hospitals-The
Top Ones In Each State (U.S. News & World Report)
Once you've found the best Hospitals in your state for your condition, choose a
plan with doctors who have privileges to work in these hospitals.
Contacts On Medicaid, Children's Health
& Managed
Care
For state-by-state- information on the above, select your state from their drop
box and hit "GO".
Back To Top
Getting Top Care/Complaints
FAQs, Tips &
Advice
Where To Get Help (Patient Advocates)
10 Ways To Avoid Outrageous Hospital Overcharges
Profit-hungry hospitals are overcharging consumers an estimated
$10 billion a year. Some deliberately work to keep bills indecipherable.
Here's how to fight back.
Making
Healthcare Agencies Publicly Accountable
Articles and links on how to make your healthcare agency accountable and where you
to get help when they won't cooperate.
Health Care
Quality-Patient Rights & Responsibilities
Fighting
Insurance Companies When They Deny Your Claim
How to protect yourself,
establish contacts, gather allies and write your appeals and grievance letters.
How To Avoid A Health Insurance
Claim
denial—And What To Do When You Can't
Tips, advice and appeals form
letters.
Informal Guide To
Appealing Health Insurance Claims
Advice from a regular guy who took on his HMO and won.
Can't Pay Your
Medical Bills Or Need Low Cost Insurance?
(Consumer-SOS)
Regulators
Governing Health & Ins. Plans (All 50 States & DC)
For Both Managed Care Plans and Fee For Service Plans.
Keeping
Your Medical Records Private
Know what protections and rights you have and what you can do if you believe
they have been violated.
Rules, Regulations & Complaints
(Consumer-SOS)
Patient
Advocacy Links
Scroll down the page for organizations that can help you in your battle
against your provider.
Find
Your Local Newspaper, Magazine, Radio & TV Stations
Give them a little bad press and you're bargaining power increases tremendously.
Select Texas, and then click on your county or city for the proper media to
report to. (DC Not Included).
Doctors
Finding & Choosing
Talking To Your Doctor
Complaints
Finding & Choosing
FAQs Tips & Advice
Finding By Specialty
Doctor Profiles & Credentials
Choosing
A Doctor (General Tips)
For a checklist of what to consider, click Here
Other Helpful Links
(Consumer-SOS)
Relating to help for the poor, doctor accountability and patient education.
Back To Top
Finding By Specialty
Certified Doctor Locator
Service (All 50 States & DC)
To locate a board certified physician by geographic area and specialty.
AMA Physician Select
Look up physicians by name or by state and medical specialty to find their
address, educational background, gender, and
specialty.
www.bestdoctors.com
Boasts a database supposedly made up of 30,000 of America's top-rated doctors.
Find A Doctor (National)
Search by name, Zip code or metropolitan area.
www.healthgrades.com
Free profiles on 600,000 doctors, 5,000 hospitals, 400 health plans, 17,000
nursing homes and more. Learn about the doctor's specialties, years
in practice, instances of misconduct, and ratings by their patients.
Verifying
If A Doctor's Been Disciplined (Consumer-SOS)
Check your state's medical licensing board to see if your
doctor has been disciplined. This is also where you can file complaints.
Profiles For Health
Plans, Doctors & Hospitals (Consumer-SOS)
Having good doctors is not enough. To have access to the latest equipment, make
sure they have privileges to work in the best hospitals.
The American Board Of Medical
Specialties (ABMS)
Find out about your doctor's credentials. Also get details on who treats what and
learn if the doctor has been
disciplined. To see if your doctor has lost any malpractice suits, check
the local courts.
Other Helpful Links (Consumer-SOS)
Help for those with low incomes, doctor accountability and patient education.
What To Ask
& Tell Your Doctor (Consumer-SOS)
Basics on preparing for your meeting, writing things down and getting feedback
from your doctor.
What To Ask Your Doctor Before Office Surgery
Getting
Top Care From Your Doctor
What to ask about your condition, treatments, tests and more.
Making The Most Of Your Medical Visit
What
To Ask & Tell Your Doctor
To
get the most from a short visit with your doctor, it helps to prepare for the
dialogue.
Before
Your Appointment.
· Write down all the questions you want to ask. Pick the three you think are most important to you.
·
Bring a list of all your medications, both prescription and
over-the-counter. Bring in any
herbs or
supplements that you take.
If
you are feeling sick or too scared, bring a friend or relative who can help take
notes and ask questions for you.
At
The Start Of The Visit.
· Ask your doctor how much time you have together.
· Explain what you have already done to get better.
· Mention the top three "must discuss" items on your list.
·
What does the doctor think happened to you, and why?
·
What do you need to do now?
·
What will the doctor do for you?
·
Will it hurt, and, if so, for how long?
·
When will you and the doctor know more about how you are
doing?
Discuss
A Plan.
·
Ask the doctor to write down the treatment choices for your
illness, and the pros and cons for each choice.
·
If you don't understand what the doctor is suggesting, ask
him or her to use different words that you do understand.
·
Agree on a plan of action with your doctor.
And then write the plan down.
·
Ask who-and when-you can call with more questions.
What
To Ask About Medications
My
Medicines (What To Ask)
Tips on how to read the label, avoid problems, ask questions and keep a record.
Other Questions
·
What are the brand and generic names?
· Do You Have Any Trial Samples (Saves You $)
·
Is there a less expensive drug?
·
Which symptoms will it treat?
·
How long will I have to take it?
·
At what time of day?
·
What happens if I miss a dose?
·
Can I eat anything I want? Do I take it with food?
·
Are there side effects.
·
Should I avoid certain things like alcohol, smoking or sun
exposure. (may cause problems
with certain antibiotics).
·
Will I need to refill the prescription?
·
When Should I be feeling better?
To Reduce Current and Future Medical Bills, use these resources to:
Help To Pay Your Medical Bills (Consumer-SOS)
Find the government, non profit groups and foundations that help people with
paying their medical bills. Some of these are earmarked for specific
conditions such as cancer or kidney problems, others just help anyone who
financially qualifies.
Free or Low Cost Health Clinics (Consumer-SOS)
Free Or Low Cost OTC or Prescription Drugs (Consumer-SOS)
Free or Low Cost Help For The Uninsured (Consumer-SOS)
Medical Billing Advocates To Help Cut Down Healthcare Costs (Consumer-SOS)
Fighting
Insurance Companies When They Deny Your Claim
How to protect yourself,
establish contacts, gather allies and write your appeals and grievance letters.
10 Ways To Avoid Outrageous Hospital Overcharges
Profit-hungry hospitals are overcharging consumers an estimated
$10 billion a year. Some deliberately work to keep bills indecipherable.
Here's how to fight back.
Patient Advocacy Links (Google Search)
United Way Help
Line (For All 50 States, DC & Puerto Rico)
Call 211 for a live person to help you find help groups. Or choose
your state, select your city, and use their search engine for any social service topic you can
think of. For example: Just type in the
words "medical bills" and "assistance".
Help To Pay Your Medical Bills
(Consumer-SOS)
If an organization can't help you, don't get off the phone until you've asked
them:
DO YOU KNOW OF OTHER GROUPS THAT CAN? Also ask,
If you were in my situation, what would
you do? Who would you call? What should i do next?
A Guide To Finding Medical Bill Assistance
Reduce your medical bills through various ways such as crowdfunding, government
assistance, special loans, medical bill advocates and lawyers.
NeedHelpPayingmyBills
(State By State Assistance)
To help pay medical bills, taxes, rent and mortgage help, etc.
Patient Advocacy Foundation
Select your medical problem, the state you live in, and up to 4 types of
Assistance Needed (Can select up to four services at a time).
Press control to select multiple resources. Shows public and non profit groups
that can help the uninsured patient navigate their access to healthcare, deal
with the financial cost of treatment, gather options for future health
insurance coverage and work to effectively manage and decrease costs while
seeking medical care. They are dedicated to helping patients with chronic,
debilitating or life-threatening illnesses.
Financial Aid Fund
Division-Patient Advocate Foundation (855) 824-7941 (Toll-Free)
This independent division of Patient Advocate Foundation provides small grants
to patients who meet financial and medical criteria. Grants are provided on
first-come first served basis and are distributed until funds are depleted.
Qualifications and processes for each fund may differ based on fund
requirements. Patients who are interested in applying for financial
assistance should start by calling this division toll free at (855) 824-7941.
The small grant programs under the Financial Aid Fund division are not
part of PAF’s Co-Pay Relief assistance program and operate independently from
other case management services.
Obesity-The National Obesity Foundation
People meeting the financial need and medical requirements can apply for
assistance of up to $2,000 towards medical expenses such as insurance
deductibles or partial payment for approved surgeries and other medical
treatment. Financial Assistance may also be available in the form of discounts
on treatment costs from NOF-accredited physicians around the country. Contact:
financialassistance@nofusa.org
Weight
Loss Surgery Foundation of America 415-234-9074
Steps to qualify for a grant for weight loss surgery. May not even require you
have insurance.
Cancer Bills
A list of the various funds foundations and grants to help pay cancer bills.
Patient Advocate Foundation Co-Pay
Relief (866) 512-3861
Helps with medical bills incurred from chronic pain,
various types of cancer, osteoporosis, hepatitis and other medical
conditions.
Good Days from CDF (877)
968-7233 (Formerly The Chronic Disease Fund)
Currently supports patients with more than two dozen different diseases,
including many types of cancer (breast, colorectal, lung
cancer, and multiple myeloma), multiple sclerosis, asthma, and macular
degeneration, to name a few. They can assist patients across the
United States with either private or public insurance who financially
qualify but cannot afford the cost of their specialty therapeutics.
Healthwell Foundation
(800) 675-8416
Assists patients living with chronic and life-altering illnesses in paying their
share of prescription drug copayments, deductibles, and health insurance
premiums.
Patents Access
Network Foundation
1-866-316-7263
Aids, some Arthritis, Asthma,
Acromegaly, Cancer, Crohn's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Macular Diseases,
to name a few.
Kidney Cancer
Association-Financial Assistance
Links
To Other Co-Payment Assistance Organizations
Medical Bills Foundations (Google Search)
For specific programs you can add in your state, i.e. New York
GuideStar Medical Assistance
Back To Top
Medical Billing Advocates
Billing advocates negotiate with
healthcare providers and insurance companies to lower your medical bills, or
increase what they'll pay for your expenses. Savings can be in the thousands of
dollars. Some charge by the hour, others bill based on what they saved you in
costs. Some may even be free.
The Patient Advocate Foundation
Negotiates medical bills and insurance for those with chronic, debilitating and
life-threatening conditions.
Medical Billing Advocates of America
Online directory of more than 30 services around the country that specialize in
individual cases. Has patient guide for detecting overcharges, billing errors
and insurance underpayments.
For more help Google Medical Billing Advocates (and the name of your state or city).
Back To Top
Medical Rules, Regulations & Complaints
Summary Of Medical Malpractice Laws (DC & All 50 States)
Excellent!!!
Keeping
Your Medical Records Private
Know what protections and rights you have and what you can do if you believe
they have been violated.
Complaints Against Doctors, Health Plans,
Insurers & More (Consumer-SOS)
Complaints Against Your Doctor
(Consumer-SOS)
May include nurses and other healthcare workers too.
Complaints Against Your Health Plan (Consumer-SOS)
Takes you to Getting Top Care/Complaints.
Insurance
Related Complaints (Consumer-SOS)
Takes you to Consumer-SOS/Insurance for
where to complaint to, insurance
regulators and where to get help for almost every insurance issue.
Report Adverse Reactions & Medical Product
Problems To the FDA
Find
Your Local Newspaper, Magazine, Radio & TV Stations
Give them a little bad press and you're bargaining power increases tremendously.
Select Texas, and then click on your county or city for the proper media to
report to. (DC Not Included).
Patient
Advocacy Links (Google Search)
Where Else To Go For Help (Consumer-SOS)
For More See Occupational Licensing Boards
Back To Top
Complaints Against Your Doctor
Medical
Licensing Boards (Consumer-SOS)
Check the medical licensing boards in your state to learn
if your doctor has been disciplined, or what rules he must abide by. You can
also lodge a complaint against the doctor yourself.