20 May Healthcare Market Resource
The following is a partial list of providers, facilities, web sites, and other companies and organizations that are especially helpful to self-pay patients.
Self-Pay Bundles
Some sites have a number of different services that cater to self-pay patients, either ‘bundled’ for sale as a single product or able to be accessed from their web site (The Self-Pay Patient blog would be the ultimate bundle, of course!). Companies and sites that do this are listed here, and are in many cases also listed under the individual services they provide.
Cash-only and cash-friendly physicians
Doctors that don’t accept insurance and who ask to be paid at the time of service are usually less expensive than doctors who accept insurance. In addition, some doctors who do take insurance will discount their prices for self-pay patients.
Association of American Physicians & Surgeons
Sprig Health (Oregon & Washington State)
Hospitals/Surgery Centers
Most hospitals charge wildly inflated rates to self-pay patients, typically 3-5 times what an insurer would pay. Finding a hospital or surgery center that offers up-front package pricing is crucial to avoiding these overcharges.
Good Shepard Medical Center (Longview, TX)
No Insurance Surgery (Las Vegas, NV)
Thyroid Surgery Center of Texas
Henry Ford Hospital (Detroit, MI)
Daytime Outpatient Surgical Center (Dallas, TX)
HealthCare Sharing Organizations
Sharing organizations are voluntary associations of people who agree to share medical bills between them, similar to insurance. They are typically less expensive than conventional health insurance, and members are exempt from paying the Obamacare tax for being uninsured.
Christian Healthcare Ministries
Medical Tourism
Traveling outside of your home area for medical treatment can offer big savings over local providers who aren’t willing to charge reasonable prices to self-pay patients, or where overseas providers are just less expensive.
Domestic
International
Costa Rica Health Travel Services
Telemedicine
Many visits to a doctor’s office can be avoided by getting a doctor on the phone, e-mailing them, or connecting with them via a video connection. This can mean relatively quick and inexpensive access to care.
Direct Primary Care & Concierge Practices
Many doctors have set up practices that offer nearly unlimited access to primary care for a modest monthly fee, called Direct Primary Care Practices. Concierge practices typically are more expensive and work with insurance, and offer much better access to care and extra services.
American Acadamy of Private Physicians
Qliance (Pacific Northwest)
Convenient Care Clinics
Typically staffed by well-educated Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants, these clinics are located in easy to access locations, offering basic care, transparent pricing, and often a lower cost than a visit to the doctor.
Careworks (Pennsylvania)
Aurora Quickcare Clinics (Wisconsin)
RediClinic (Texas)
Take Care Clinic (Walgreens, 18 states)
The Little Clinic (Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennesse)
ShopKo Fastcare (upper Midwest, Great Plains, West)
Target Clinic (Target, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina and Virginia)
Prescription Drugs
Prescription medications are a vital part of treating many illnesses and injuries, and can be very expensive. The resources listed below offer a variety of ways to save money on prescription drug costs.
Chain Drugstore Discount/Saving Programs
Prescription Drug Price Comparison Tools
Prescription Drug Discount Cards & Coupons
Prescription Drug Assistance Programs
Prescription Assistance Program
Partnership for Prescription Assistance
State Pharmaceutical Assistance Programs
Health Apps
Innovative technology companies are developing apps for mobile devices that can help self-pay patients save money, stick with their treatments, and achieve improved health.
Prescription Drug Adherence Tools
Prescription Drug Price Comparison Tools
Accident, Critical Illness, Fixed-Benefit, Short Term Insurance
There are a number of alternative insurance products that can be effective substitutes for conventional health insurance. The companies below are among those that offer these alternatives.
American Fidelity Assurance Company
Labs, Screenings, & Imaging
Like prescription drugs, modern medicine relies on lab tests, advanced imaging like MRIs, and health screenings. Getting them at your local hospital is almost always the most expensive option, the links below will show you how to save money on these services.
Imaging Services
Sprig Health (Oregon & Washington)
Laboratory Services
Sprig Health (Oregon & Washington)
Medical Loans
Among the many alternatives to conventional health insurance to paying for care, there are companies out there that will lend money to patients. Probably not the best option, but it is an option.
Medical Bill Negotiators
Medical bills, especially from hospitals, can be confusing, riddled with errors, and wildly inflated. Working with medical bill negotiators is a great way to get the amount owed reduced, often dramatically.
Healthcare Price Transparency
There are a number of web sites that allow people to find out what insurers, government programs, or others are paying for health care, and other sites that allow doctors to post their prices for all to see. The sites below can be a good starting point for finding out what typical prices are for many health care treatments.
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