Atlanta Accident Law Library
Low-Cost Medical Treatment in Atlanta
More and more Americans are having trouble getting or paying for medical care. Even those with insurance can’t always afford high co-payments, deductibles or premiums. If you’re involved in a catastrophic accident, you might be socked with hundreds of thousands of dollars in hospital bills. And if you don’t have insurance, your medical bills can skyrocket even further. Fortunately, there are several ways to secure free or inexpensive medical care in the Atlanta area -- if you know where to look. And you don’t necessarily have to be a child, elderly or a parent to quality.
Government Health Insurance Programs
Medicaid is a comprehensive health coverage plan for children, their caretakers, the sick, the elderly and the disabled. Who qualifies for Medicaid is complicated; you can find out more about eligibility here, at the Georgia Health Partnership Web site. But you or your loved one might qualify for Medicaid in Georgia if the person seeking care is a Georgia resident, has a very low income and is:
- Under age 19
- A parent or relative taking care of a child or teen under age 19
- An adult age 65 or older
- Pregnant
- Blind
- A chronically ill child
- A woman with cervical or breast cancer
- Disabled, or taking care of a disabled family member.
The Georgia Department of Community Health administers Medicaid through Georgia Families, Georgia Enhanced Care and other programs.
If you have children under 18, they might also qualify for PeachCare for Kids, a comprehensive health care program for families that make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but less than 235% of the federal poverty guidelines. (As of 2008, that’s $49,820 or less for a family of four.) Children under age six can enroll for free; after that, parents pay $10 to $35 per month for each child, with a household maximum of $70 per month. You can find out more or apply at PeachCare’s Web site or call 1-877-GA-PEACH.
Finally, Atlanta residents with high hospital bills might be eligible for the Georgia Indigent Care Trust Fund. The fund helps people with low incomes pay high hospital bills, regardless of whether they have health insurance or Medicaid. All hospitals provide at least some care to low-income people for free or on a sliding scale. To apply, you should call the hospital that provided your care and ask for their billing department or social worker.
Free or Low-Cost Clinics
Free or low-cost medical clinics offer treatment for the sick, checkups and preventive care, immunizations, prenatal care, dental care and prescription drugs to uninsured or underinsured clients in metro Atlanta. They might be religious organizations, nonprofit clinics, shelters or even mobile clinics housed in vans or buses. Some are free; others charge on a sliding scale based on your income, or ask for donations in exchange for care.
You can find free and inexpensive clinics in Atlanta through the Georgia Free Clinic Network, a nonprofit organization that supports and brings together clinics. You can also search for clinics in Atlanta through the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, which lists clinics that offer health care to everyone, regardless of income or health insurance.
Help Paying For Prescription Drugs
For many people with serious illnesses, prescription drugs are the biggest part of their medical bills. If that’s your situation, you may be able to get help through the National Council on Aging, a nonprofit organization that helps older Americans. The council’s Benefits CheckUp Web site allows users to fill out a form to find out whether they’re eligible for government or private programs they’re not currently using. That includes Medicare RX Extra Help, other prescription drug benefits programs, and other benefits programs, like disaster assistance or help with utility bills. Anyone, not just older people, can use Benefits CheckUp.
Several groups of pharmaceutical and medical companies also offer programs that connect patients with free or reduced-cost medications. They include the Partnership for Prescription Assistance and RxAssist.
Getting Experimental Care: Clinical Trials
If you have a specific health problem, you can sometimes sign up for a clinical trial that addresses that problem. Hospitals and medical schools that are working on new treatments or seeking more information about older ones run these experiments. They’re usually tested on animals or in laboratories before they’re offered to the public, to make sure they’re as safe as possible. However, you'll still have to sign a waiver and agree to come to the clinic on their schedule, rather than yours. You can search for clinical trials in Atlanta, in Georgia and throughout the United States at ClinicalTrials.gov. In Georgia, you can look for trials through the Medical College of Georgia, the Georgia Center for Oncology Research and Education, and the Southeastern Medical Research Institute in Columbus.
Injured in an Accident? Stokes & Kopitsky Can Help
If you need medical care because someone else’s carelessness or deliberate act hurt you, the Atlanta law firm of Stokes & Kopitsky can help. We are a personal injury law firm, which means we work with clients who were seriously injured in car, truck and motorcycle accidents; workplace accidents; and accidents in public places like stores or construction sites. We can connect you with medical experts who can evaluate and treat your injuries right away, but wait for payment until you win your case. And you don’t need health insurance to qualify. For a free, confidential consultation about your case, click here to fill out our online case evaluation form, or call Stokes & Kopitsky toll-free at 1-800-552-9200, or at (404) 892-0011 in Atlanta.
How to Contact Atlanta Injury Attorneys
Stokes & Kopitsky, P.A.
If you've been injured in a Georgia accident because of another person's fault - even if you were also at fault - we can help you. We're Atlanta injury lawyers Gregory M. Stokes and Neil J. Kopitsky, and we have over 30 years of experience helping injured people and their families get justice and payment when they are involved in a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, slip and fall, or workplace accident. We've recovered millions of dollars in payments for our clients in Atlanta accident, Atlanta accidental death cases, and Georgia injury or death cases.
Your initial telephone or office consultation is FREE and CONFIDENTIAL, and our fees are paid only from what we recover for you. There is no pressure; we want to help with your recovery and treat all our clients with courtesy, care, and respect. Please call toll-free any time, any day, to speak with us. We look forward to helping you. You can contact us at:
Atlanta Telephone: 404- 892-0014
Toll-free Telephone: 1- 800-700-5050
E-mail: info@skattorneysatlaw.com
You may also use the
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