Survival Guide for the Uninsured

I know how to get along without insurance. Looking back, I think my family had insurance about half the time while I was growing up. It was obnoxious. But we knew how to deal with it.

Here's the deal...

If you're generally healthy and without insurance you can skip some of the regular appointments you would make if you otherwise had insurance. Going two or three years without a regular check up if you aren't sexually active (where you'd get most diseases anyway) shouldn't be a problem.

"What if you need an operation?!" the social healthcare proponents always demand.

Here's the thing - figure out who does what for free.

Catholic hospitals have benevolence funds. If you explain you need an operation and have no money or insurance, they will help you. If they can't cover all of it, they'll put you on a reasonable repayment plan. Needing an operation does not mean that you will have to file for bankruptcy or even be completely broke for years. That's just plain wrong.

Planned Parenthood also provides some free services and contraceptives (which, let's just be honest, you can't get for free at a Catholic hospital if you can get them at all.)

As far as dental goes, there are a few things you can do. If you just need a cleaning, call up local dentists in the area, explain your situation and ask them how much they charge. You can find someone who won't charge an arm and a leg.

Major dental work costs a lot of money, even with insurance. When I had my wisdom teeth removed, I had great insurance and it still cost me $1000 out of pocket. Dental schools are a way to avoid the astronomical costs and get work done more reasonably.

Optometrists, glasses and contacts are fairly easy to find inexpensively. They advertise specials in the newspaper almost every week. If you wear contacts, Walmart is the least expensive route I've seen. Sometimes $15-20 dollars a box.

And everyone knows now that you can get off-brand prescriptions for a few dollars at month at Walmart, Fred Meyer and other bigger retail outlets.

Like I said, you can survive a few years without insurance and without going broke - even if you need to have surgery at some point. You just have to know what to do.

Have any questions? Feel free to ask. Trust me, I'm an expert. ;)