Hospital debts - will the hospital turn me down?

I'm only 19 and supporting myself, so I don't really have much money, but I was forced to make several ER visits over the winter due to a long sickness.  My total bills are probably around $500, and I just started getting collection notices, so I paid the ones I've gotten, but I can't afford to pay them all yet.  But I am going to need to see a doctor again pretty soon - will they turn me down because of my debts?

[PlateletGal]

I'm not sure. I do know that the ER cannot turn someone down. Since you are a self-pay, they should give you a discount at your doctor's office.

If you have a chronic health condition, please consider calling your State Senators and asking them if there are any government programs that may be able to assist you.

Good luck !

[boogaloo]

Typically, a physician would not do a credit check on an individual.  As the above poster said, I also think that the er would have to see you legally.  Have you thought about checking out the "doc-in-a-box" type office.  Those are the offices where you don't make appointments.  They are pretty cheap and you can get lucky with the dr's.  The physician I see has his own practice plus he works at one of those types of places.  It's interesting to see the difference between his costs at the clinic and when I see him at his practice.

Good luck to you.

[PlateletGal]

Just curious --- where are these "docs in a box" type offices ? I don't think we have anything like that in my state.

[boogaloo]

I've lived in MN, TN, MI, FL, AZ, and CA, they've all had them.  

[PlateletGal]

Where are these offices at and how would you go about finding them ?

[peekawho]

She might be talking about urgent care places...we call those doc in the boxes here.

[BethanySublime]

yeah it sounds like urgent care clinics.  that's where I'd end up going.  ok thanks everyone!  that helped

[boogaloo]

They are just walk-in clinics.  Some of them do services on a sliding scale.  We do have the urgent care clinics too.  They really are pretty much the same thing.

[elo2282]

I live in Nj and the CVS hee has something called the Minute Clinic. It is like an urgent care office and the prices are much lower than a doctors office. Here is the website http://www.minuteclinic.com/en/USA/