If you are uninsured or underinsured, your worst nightmare may be getting sick enough to need medical treatment. While going to the ER may not be an option for you unless you are at great risk of death, it’s also not your only option. You don’t have to let your health conditions take over your life.
If you come down with a simple health condition like pink eye or strep throat, you can get inexpensive care at the lowest level of health care clinics: the walk in clinic. These clinics are often open in retail establishments like pharmacies.
They offer simple diagnostic services and can help you get the care you need before your health suffers to greatly.
Urgent care facilities are another option. If you don’t have a simple problem but aren’t at risk of death, physicians at these facilities have more resources to figure out what’s wrong than physicians at simple walk-in clinics. They may be able to take x-rays or draw blood for testing, for example.
You shouldn’t let your health get to the point where your only option is the ER. Instead, try going to a walk-in clinic or urgent care facility as early as is reasonable for you.
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