Affordable Health Care Resources for Uninsured

The Orlando Sentinel recently highlighted community health care clinics, which provide health care services to the uninsured. Otherwise, many of these individuals would either go to the emergency room for minor ailments or go without treatment entirely.

Most clinics either treat all comers for free, or charge fees on a sliding scale depending on the patient's income. The clinics are run either by private groups or by state or county governments. They tend to serve a role similar to a family doctor, handling minor illnesses or primary care. Care that requires a specialist (e.g. mental health treatment, vision and dental care) , however, is far harder to come by for the uninsured. And people with chronic, life-threatening conditions such as cancer are in an even worse state, because there is only so much the clinic can do.

Clinics often serve a limited number of patients per day and have long waiting lists for care. If at all possible, finding basic coverage with low health insurance rates is ideal. However, free health clinics are a good resource in the mean time.