Health care insurance cover can help to save money while you are paying for your medical insurance or become a burden to maintain sometimes. Individual health insurance plans are offered by large insurance companies and provide coverage to individuals or families with specific health problems. Some types of individual health insurance plans are very expensive.
In some instances, one may opt not to have medical insurance cover due to various reasons. Although the pricing for the medical bill might be too overpriced when you do not have medical health insurance, there are some ways to help you lower the cost. In this article, we shall discuss some of the things you need to know about getting chiropractor treatment without insurance. Some of those things include;
- how to find a chiropractor who accepts patients without insurance
- what to expect when visiting a chiropractor who accepts patients without insurance
- What you can do to make sure you get the best deal possible when you receive chiropractic treatment without insurance.
Most chiropractors these days are extremely accommodating and will work with you even if you don’t have health insurance. Here are some things you should know before going to a chiropractor who doesn’t accept insurance.
Ways to get chiropractor services without insurance?
Ask from referrals
First of all, it is always a good idea to check with your existing doctors for referrals. You might get lucky and find one of them knows a chiropractor who accepts patients without insurance. Indeed, sometimes doctors themselves have been patients of chiropractors who do not accept insurance. In any case, it never hurts to ask. Another thing you can do is simply call around until you find a doctor or a group of doctors that has a chiropractor that that treat patients without insurance. Only if you do this will you be able to get a real feel for what’s available in your area.
Shop around
Check with local chiropractors to see if they offer discounted fees to patients without insurance. Also, check with health maintenance organizations (HMO’s) to see if they have a provider directory where you can get a list of doctors who belong to that particular HMO.
Shop Around For A Discount!
Many times, insurance companies will negotiate discounts for their members. This is especially true if you are willing to pay in advance. So, ask your chiropractor if he is willing to give you a discount because you are not insured. If so, be sure to communicate that to the office manager or secretary and ask if there is any way she could help you out by holding onto your payments for a month or two. This will give you some time to get health insurance and then your payments will be forwarded to the chiropractor on a regular basis.
Pay In Advance
Another thing you can do is simply pay in advance for all or part of your chiropractic care. In most cases, chiropractors will work with you on this. Compared to other medical procedures, chiropractic care has very low fees and it usually costs less even for extensive treatment. Therefore, if you decide to pay in advance, you might want to discuss the matter with your doctor and see if he can recommend a specific chiropractor.
Do Your Homework
Another thing you should do is do a little research about the chiropractor you are thinking of going to. Find out everything you can about his office including; the address the hours of operation how long he has been in practice his educational background Look For A Doctor With A Degree! Degree from Any Type of Medical School! Not only does a doctor’s education qualify him to be a chiropractor, it also qualifies him to be an MD. That means he has received at least 4 years of undergraduate study plus 4 years of medical school. In fact, many chiropractors have degrees in other health-related fields such as physiology, biology, kinesiology, and many others. Simply put, the more education a doctor or a chiropractor has, the more he knows and the more equipped he is to help you.
What to expect when visiting a chiropractor who accepts patients without insurance?
To summarize, here are some things you can expect:
- Your initial visit will probably last between 30 to 60 minutes
This is not nearly long enough! You should really spend 2 to 3 hours at the very least for a complete adjustment. However, most initial visits last only about 30 to 60 minutes. That’s too short a time to determine if you need treatment. Most often, a brief visit will suffice and you will be sent on your way with a “feel good” feeling that everything is OK. On the other hand, sometimes a quick visit will show that there is nothing wrong with you and you do not need chiropractic care at all. So, by shortening your first visit, you will have money-saving benefits.
- Your treatment plan will include several adjustments per week for 4 to 6 weeks.
In fact, most often, you will receive between 10 and 20 treatments before your chiropractor determines that you are 100% better. Sometimes, patients need only 5 to 7 visits. But most often, patients need 10 to 20 visits. This is important because it takes time for an adjustment to have its full effect.
Things to do to make sure you get the best deal possible when you receive chiropractic treatment without insurance
- If possible, try to make your first appointment for a “free look” the same day you call the office.
You might ask the office manager or secretary to hold your call for a few minutes while you go over in your mind whether or not you actually need chiropractic care. If she will allow you to do this, just tell her you to come in for a “free look” and give her all the details about yourself including your phone number and the best time to call you back.
- Keep an open mind.
Don’t assume that just because a doctor doesn’t accept insurance that he is trying to take advantage of his patients. It could be that he has no choice since he is totally unprepared to deal with health insurance companies. So, don’t judge him too harshly. Instead, give him a chance to prove himself to you.
- Remember that chiropractors are “Doctor” chiropractors.
They may not have a medical degree but they are still very knowledgeable about many types of health-related problems.
In conclusion, you can get chiropractic treatment without insurance with as low as $30-$200. However, you must do your homework so you don’t go to a chiropractor who is not competent to do the job. Also, make sure he is willing and able to treat without insurance.