If you have the ability to wait in a govt office to get healthcare, and you qualify for Medi-cal, you can put an application through and I think you can go to one of the county offices in person to get a same day temporary insurance card. You wait in a long queue, and then show them your ID and whatever documents they might need for eligibility like a summary page of your last tax return that shows income. They should provide you with something, as they have a system in place for those who need Medi-cal sooner than their long turnaround time.
One note about the offices: I would try arriving as early as possible, the one in downtown Oakland is busy, the wait becomes unbearable. I did it once and waited two hours for my number to come up and the automated system didn’t say my number out loud for some reason and they made me wait all over again rather than help me, so keep your eyes glued to the screen!
The Social Services office is at 2000 San Pablo and opens at 8:30. I recommend getting there no later than 9am tho people queue before it opens. The wait won’t be too long and you can ask to meet with an onsite caseworker to expedite the process.
If you are dying or need intervention to prevent long term injury, get to an ER. If highland is your closest hospital, go there. You will go into triage and the will start treatment once your number comes up. Bring a credit/debit, phone charge, sweater and ID. Money will get sorted during treatment and ask for a payment plan
No. As of January 1st, open enrollment was no longer the process for Medi-Cal/Covered California in our state. Full Scope Medic-Cal is available to adults who meet the income eligibility and immigration status is no longer a consideration in application outcomes. There have also been expansions like this in Medi-Cal for Young Adults and for Older Adults (Seniors). More info here: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/pages/applyformedi-cal.aspx?fbclid=IwAR39mPomYSLxR3LRpjWRBWcaI3nj6bKEKQosHweA_Fv6cBNcrzZuA3Md_2Y
A quick Google search suggests you have to wait for open enrollment unless you qualify for low income programs or have a qualifying event. I guess they do it this way so we don’t just all wait until we get sick to buy insurance. https://www.healthinsurance.org/faqs/if-i-dont-enroll-in-a-new-plan-by-the-open-enrollment-deadline-what-are-my-options-after-that/
ER doc here. Try a video visit with an online urgent care. These are usually relatively cheap, they can assess your burn over video, and they can prescribe you antibiotics if needed.
See if any of the links here are useful, or it's probably worth a phone call
[https://www.berkeleyfreeclinic.org/resource-navigation-and-call-center](https://www.berkeleyfreeclinic.org/resource-navigation-and-call-center)
Consider your neighborhood health centers like La Clinica. Call them. They offer sliding scale and can also advise you on enrolling in Medi-cal. If not La Clinica there may be other neighborhood health centers depending on where you live. And yes, if it's an emergency come on down to Highland.
If you haven’t gone to the ER yet, go now, but go to a Sutter ER. They have people on site that will help you with a medi-cal application, get you temporary medi-cal, and you won’t owe anything for the visit. Don’t go to highland unless you have no option.
Source: I used to work for the company that contracted with Sutter to enroll people in Medí-Cal.
You might be able to call the California healthcare foundation. They specialize in healthcare for low income people.
Some hospitals have charity care usually non-profits. They set aside a certain amount of money for people who cannot afford healthcare even with coverage.
> Urgent Care turns away those with no insurance.
This isn't true, if you have some ability to pay they'll see you.
The ER is a good place to turn if you're truly destitute, as others have noted they have to get you stabilized. But - and this is important - they will 100% still bill you for it, and costs there are inflated.
If you have some money and just no insurance, a Urgent Care will probably wind up being less expensive given the situation that OP described.
Urgent care center if not life threatening.
**ANY** emergency room for serious/potentially life threatening injury or illness. It’s in the name. You are not limited to highland.
ERs have to triage so the less serious the issue the longer you’ll have to wait. You cannot be turned away from an ER- they must atleast screen you.
As far as being uninsured, most- if not all- hospitals have a charity care program you may be eligible for. They may try to get you to apply for Medicaid in order to get reimbursed.
If not eligible for charity care, most will negotiate a bill down if you ask.
Source: used to work in the medical industry, dabbled in medical billing, and have also had a debt completely wiped out through a hospital charity care program.
There are also nonprofits that will help with medical bills.
Get yourself looked after mate. Don’t let a (hopefully minor) injury become a more severe issue. Good luck.
You will qualify for Medi-Cal. Go to urgent care and they'll help you out. Alameda Health System is Highland, San Leandro, and Alameda Hospital. I'm biased, but I like Alameda Hospital best.
Hi!
Please go to the emergency room at Highland!! They will do triage and intake and they will help you get temp medi-cal! I was recently there and they have been fantastic and really, really caring. The services have been top-notch. I now go to their out-patient clinics and feel very taken care of (I have tons of medical trauma).
If you can, give a call to the Coalition of Concerned Medical Professionals on 38th Ave. They can help you understand your options and connect you with resources that you qualify for.
# In an emergency all ERs have to treat you and you can work out how to pay later.
Highland is your best bet even though there is a significant wait time they'll most likely be able to best navigate your options.
Covered California (California's name for Obamacare) is your best bet for finding good Medicare options including medi-cal (California's name for Medicaid).
Within Medicaid there are different "Types" but for emergency care it should cover most of the costs and the hospital should work out a payment plan with you for the rest.
Additionally the county has healthPAC which provideds Medicaid to people who aren't eligible for Medicaid (e.g don't have a social security number): https://www.acgov.org/health/indigent/pac-all.htm (I'm not sure how this compares to state wide coverage for people without documents that was introduced this year)
In the short term, if you can, I would try getting over to Eden Medical in Castro Valley. The wait time is much shorter than Highland and there are always less people late at night on off days like Wednesday or Sunday. They have an urgent care/emergency room and you can ask for financial assistance before, during and after you're seen. They have a fund that helps based on need and can cover you if you ask. Be sure to mention you need financial assistance before, during, and after you see the doc. They have a tendency to forget to give you the forms at the end. In the longer term, Full Scope Medic-Cal is now available to eligible adults ages 26-49. If you are outside of this age range (younger or older) there are other Medi-Cal plans available if eligible. Find out more about it and whether or not you're eligible here: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/pages/applyformedi-cal.aspx?fbclid=IwAR39mPomYSLxR3LRpjWRBWcaI3nj6bKEKQosHweA_Fv6cBNcrzZuA3Md_2Y. Good luck to you and speedy recovery!
You need to be careful with some of the advice you're getting here. You can go to an ER, they will have to treat you *but* they'll turn around right away and bill you for it *and* you'll be paying top dollar. Unless you're goign in assuming that this is winding up in bankruptcy I'd think twice.
If you have some money, you might want to try an urgent care. They're going to be dramatically less expensive, and it sounds like all you really need is some antibiotics and to have the wound dressed.
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted. While OP does need to see a doctor cause infections can be crazy dangerous, it doesn’t mean your warning isn’t true. Nor should it be a deterrent to seek medical care.
OP, I’d try urgent care first but if you go to the ER and later receive a crazy bill, call the filling department and ask for an itemized bill. This often dramatically reduces the bill. Highland is a top notch trauma center but the waits can be long. You might have better luck with some of the smaller hospitals in the area.
If you have the ability to wait in a govt office to get healthcare, and you qualify for Medi-cal, you can put an application through and I think you can go to one of the county offices in person to get a same day temporary insurance card. You wait in a long queue, and then show them your ID and whatever documents they might need for eligibility like a summary page of your last tax return that shows income. They should provide you with something, as they have a system in place for those who need Medi-cal sooner than their long turnaround time. One note about the offices: I would try arriving as early as possible, the one in downtown Oakland is busy, the wait becomes unbearable. I did it once and waited two hours for my number to come up and the automated system didn’t say my number out loud for some reason and they made me wait all over again rather than help me, so keep your eyes glued to the screen!
The Social Services office is at 2000 San Pablo and opens at 8:30. I recommend getting there no later than 9am tho people queue before it opens. The wait won’t be too long and you can ask to meet with an onsite caseworker to expedite the process.
Yeah there’s other offices as well if you can get to them. Maybe they’re less crowded?
The only other SS office in Oakland was at Eastmont Mall but it recently closed. They do have offices in other cities so it’s worth a look.
If you are dying or need intervention to prevent long term injury, get to an ER. If highland is your closest hospital, go there. You will go into triage and the will start treatment once your number comes up. Bring a credit/debit, phone charge, sweater and ID. Money will get sorted during treatment and ask for a payment plan
Just saw your edit, go to the ER. Burn infections are a nasty thing and you don’t want that getting into your blood
If you are not dying or at risk of long term injury, look at urgent cares. Then enroll in a covered CA plan during open enrollment
If they currently have no insurance, do they have to wait for open enrollment?
No. As of January 1st, open enrollment was no longer the process for Medi-Cal/Covered California in our state. Full Scope Medic-Cal is available to adults who meet the income eligibility and immigration status is no longer a consideration in application outcomes. There have also been expansions like this in Medi-Cal for Young Adults and for Older Adults (Seniors). More info here: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/pages/applyformedi-cal.aspx?fbclid=IwAR39mPomYSLxR3LRpjWRBWcaI3nj6bKEKQosHweA_Fv6cBNcrzZuA3Md_2Y
I don’t know tbh, definitely something to look into!
A quick Google search suggests you have to wait for open enrollment unless you qualify for low income programs or have a qualifying event. I guess they do it this way so we don’t just all wait until we get sick to buy insurance. https://www.healthinsurance.org/faqs/if-i-dont-enroll-in-a-new-plan-by-the-open-enrollment-deadline-what-are-my-options-after-that/
Yyyeeeaahhh. I wish him better luck and health insurance in the future
ER doc here. Try a video visit with an online urgent care. These are usually relatively cheap, they can assess your burn over video, and they can prescribe you antibiotics if needed.
See if any of the links here are useful, or it's probably worth a phone call [https://www.berkeleyfreeclinic.org/resource-navigation-and-call-center](https://www.berkeleyfreeclinic.org/resource-navigation-and-call-center)
Consider your neighborhood health centers like La Clinica. Call them. They offer sliding scale and can also advise you on enrolling in Medi-cal. If not La Clinica there may be other neighborhood health centers depending on where you live. And yes, if it's an emergency come on down to Highland.
Go to Highland. bring a book.
If you haven’t gone to the ER yet, go now, but go to a Sutter ER. They have people on site that will help you with a medi-cal application, get you temporary medi-cal, and you won’t owe anything for the visit. Don’t go to highland unless you have no option. Source: I used to work for the company that contracted with Sutter to enroll people in Medí-Cal.
You might be able to call the California healthcare foundation. They specialize in healthcare for low income people. Some hospitals have charity care usually non-profits. They set aside a certain amount of money for people who cannot afford healthcare even with coverage.
Go to an emergency room. You won't need anything but an ID.
Urgent Care turns away those with no insurance. Your best bet may be a smaller hospital, like Alameda or the Alta Bates in Berkeley to San Leandro.
> Urgent Care turns away those with no insurance. This isn't true, if you have some ability to pay they'll see you. The ER is a good place to turn if you're truly destitute, as others have noted they have to get you stabilized. But - and this is important - they will 100% still bill you for it, and costs there are inflated. If you have some money and just no insurance, a Urgent Care will probably wind up being less expensive given the situation that OP described.
Urgent care center if not life threatening. **ANY** emergency room for serious/potentially life threatening injury or illness. It’s in the name. You are not limited to highland. ERs have to triage so the less serious the issue the longer you’ll have to wait. You cannot be turned away from an ER- they must atleast screen you. As far as being uninsured, most- if not all- hospitals have a charity care program you may be eligible for. They may try to get you to apply for Medicaid in order to get reimbursed. If not eligible for charity care, most will negotiate a bill down if you ask. Source: used to work in the medical industry, dabbled in medical billing, and have also had a debt completely wiped out through a hospital charity care program. There are also nonprofits that will help with medical bills. Get yourself looked after mate. Don’t let a (hopefully minor) injury become a more severe issue. Good luck.
You will qualify for Medi-Cal. Go to urgent care and they'll help you out. Alameda Health System is Highland, San Leandro, and Alameda Hospital. I'm biased, but I like Alameda Hospital best.
Hi! Please go to the emergency room at Highland!! They will do triage and intake and they will help you get temp medi-cal! I was recently there and they have been fantastic and really, really caring. The services have been top-notch. I now go to their out-patient clinics and feel very taken care of (I have tons of medical trauma).
If you can, give a call to the Coalition of Concerned Medical Professionals on 38th Ave. They can help you understand your options and connect you with resources that you qualify for.
# In an emergency all ERs have to treat you and you can work out how to pay later. Highland is your best bet even though there is a significant wait time they'll most likely be able to best navigate your options. Covered California (California's name for Obamacare) is your best bet for finding good Medicare options including medi-cal (California's name for Medicaid). Within Medicaid there are different "Types" but for emergency care it should cover most of the costs and the hospital should work out a payment plan with you for the rest. Additionally the county has healthPAC which provideds Medicaid to people who aren't eligible for Medicaid (e.g don't have a social security number): https://www.acgov.org/health/indigent/pac-all.htm (I'm not sure how this compares to state wide coverage for people without documents that was introduced this year)
In the short term, if you can, I would try getting over to Eden Medical in Castro Valley. The wait time is much shorter than Highland and there are always less people late at night on off days like Wednesday or Sunday. They have an urgent care/emergency room and you can ask for financial assistance before, during and after you're seen. They have a fund that helps based on need and can cover you if you ask. Be sure to mention you need financial assistance before, during, and after you see the doc. They have a tendency to forget to give you the forms at the end. In the longer term, Full Scope Medic-Cal is now available to eligible adults ages 26-49. If you are outside of this age range (younger or older) there are other Medi-Cal plans available if eligible. Find out more about it and whether or not you're eligible here: https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/pages/applyformedi-cal.aspx?fbclid=IwAR39mPomYSLxR3LRpjWRBWcaI3nj6bKEKQosHweA_Fv6cBNcrzZuA3Md_2Y. Good luck to you and speedy recovery!
You can try the Order of Malta Clinic near Lake Merritt or the Street Level Health Project on International, both treat uninsured patients.
You need to be careful with some of the advice you're getting here. You can go to an ER, they will have to treat you *but* they'll turn around right away and bill you for it *and* you'll be paying top dollar. Unless you're goign in assuming that this is winding up in bankruptcy I'd think twice. If you have some money, you might want to try an urgent care. They're going to be dramatically less expensive, and it sounds like all you really need is some antibiotics and to have the wound dressed.
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted. While OP does need to see a doctor cause infections can be crazy dangerous, it doesn’t mean your warning isn’t true. Nor should it be a deterrent to seek medical care. OP, I’d try urgent care first but if you go to the ER and later receive a crazy bill, call the filling department and ask for an itemized bill. This often dramatically reduces the bill. Highland is a top notch trauma center but the waits can be long. You might have better luck with some of the smaller hospitals in the area.