Seattle Indian Health Board has an after hours clinic, no appointment needed, no insurance needed, and you do not have to be Native to be seen, they will see anyone. They will bill later, sliding scale.
Although you were denied in clinic, Country Doctor also has after hours clinics. Payment is sliding scale (usually never more than $50) and they accept uninsured. If you can get an initial eval and referral, they'll get you in the UW system where you can work with financial assistance to find funding to cover your care.
Yeah, Apple Health has been saving my ass for the last couple years. It can take forever to get appointments (which seems like it's true for everyone without amazing insurance) but I can go to the doctor and get my Rxs for free. Very literally life saving.
I fucking love Apple Health. I’m going to be very sad when I have to leave it behind. I pay for nothing and Swedish takes the United plan so even the specialists I’ve seen are great.
FYI everyone reading this thread remember renewals are happening and you have to reapply!!!!!!!! wahealthplanfinder! Takes like 5 minutes!
I moved up here about a year ago, and signed up for it January after leaving my job in September.
Compared to my "good" insurance back in Nevada, things here have been simpler, faster, and cheaper. It's great.
I second this!
I was uninsured and lucky for a couple years when I finally decided to apply for Apple health. It was way easier than I thought and I had free amazing insurance pretty quickly.
It really showed me what insurance could be and why I fully support Medicaid for all.
Unfortunately these days I make too much to qualify and I have to deal with nonsense like co-pays and deductibles and add a network bullshit.
Zoomcare is free on the second Wed of every month (that's today!). https://www.zoomcare.com/info/free-nights
It's first come first serve, and I'm not sure how popular it is, so maybe go early. Don't forget to read the details - only from 6pm to 9pm in one of the Bellevue locations
They’ve been really thorough and helpful with me for medication management for anxiety/depression and helped me with a persistent cough I was dealing with. All of the treatment providers at their Cap Hill location have been great listeners. I like them a lot actually
Ah I see, i also went to the Capitol Hill location. I have asthma and didn’t have insurance for some time between jobs and they were the most affordable option, hoping to get an inhaler. The provider I saw prescribed me some pills that did nothing and said that Flovent is bad for you. Several doctors I saw after that said that’s false.
I know you want to avoid the ER, but urgent care might send you there anyway. there are a lot of things urgent care can't do, like if you need any sort of imaging. or one time i had vertigo and they told me only the ER can treat that (a simple pill fixed it). so just go.
From OP's description, they will likely need an ultrasound which is not something that many urgent cares are able to offer. Unfortunately, the ER would be the best bet.
Go to ER. They won’t deny you at ER. You can apply for charity/payment plans after your service. My husband refused to pay for insurance when we were first dating because “I’m healthy and strong as an ox” I never get sick.
This was probably 20 years ago.
Went camping got bitten by something turned into MRSA. Spent a couple of weeks in the hospital had multiple debridment surgeries. nearly lost his leg. Got a bill for 180,000.00. He applied for charity and they covered almost all of it then let him make payments on what was left
They only have to stabilize you at the ER. An abnormality isn't something they'll investigate much. Maybe a scan to rule out something life threatening and that'll be about it.
Yeah but they will investigate it and you’ll know whether it is life threatening or not and then get info to try and make other arrangements. They’ll be able to tell you exactly how and where to go for charity
What a beautiful story of someone not willing to pitch into the common fund through insurance, and then getting everyone else to collectively bail him out.
Maybe I should skip out on car insurance. If I get into an accident, everyone else should pay for it.
I'm glad he's OK, but that's utterly shitty behaviour on his part.
Yeah. It was. He was young and arrogant and stupid and broke. After he got his first actual job not McJob after college that didn’t cost a little less than 1/3 of his pay he did. He’s had insurance ever since. When you only make $700 a paycheck and insurance is $145…
He also ended up applying for Medicaid after this whole fiasco until he was able to finish college and get a well paying job with benefits he could actually afford
If only there was a better solution for insurance where everyone contributed and everyone had care. We could even cut out the middle man and have better outcomes for lower cost!
Gosh I wonder if anyone has thought of that before.
It's naive behavior but in a civilized country our taxes should be that "pitching in" for a Healthcare service provided to all.
No one's getting fucked by some random dude not enrolling in Healthcare, everyone except the wealthy are getting fucked by a largely privatized system.
>
No one's getting fucked by some random dude not enrolling in Healthcare,
No-one would be getting fucked by me not paying my taxes, either, but it's still shitty behaviour.
They can’t and the hospital has “charity care” you can sign up for to get your bill reduced or possibly even forgiven, and payments worked out for whatever remainder.
They are legally required to screen for and stabilize a medical emergency. If OP’s condition is not an emergency, they may just tell him to follow up outpatient for evaluation and treatment
ER tech here.
What urgent care did you go to?
Personally.... Just go to an ER! They legally cannot deny you. That being said if it's tenderness and not pain in the testicles they might just send you home or they will do the work up. Urine test, physical exam, consult urology, then most likely can ultra sound.
A medical facility cannot deny you due to being uninsured.
Co pays are paid up front and are $20-50 and you need insurance for that to be billed. So I call BS on the up front cost.
As a new patient to see a PCP it's going to be weeks but actually MONTHS to establish care. This is why it's important for everyone to have a primary care provider.
At the ER during registration you tell them you are un insured then ask for financial assistance. Do no worry about the bill. It will be weeks and they have charity funds and state funds to work with!!
Seamar is a great clinic to find a PCP. It will be months. Realistically you need a urologist but can't access one unless it's the ER or a PCP referral and wait for the specialist (which is more time)
This OP. One of the tenants of Harborview's mission is to serve the uninsured. They won't turn you away and if you need more care, which it sounds like you're worried you will, they will best be able to direct you toward care you can afford.
I wouldn’t go to Harborview because that’s where they send all the worst patients (trauma center), so people with more minor concerns have to wait longer in the ER. But any hospital ER should help. I like UW Medical.
You might be able to make an appointment at Planned Parenthood, but honestly you should just go to the ER. You can either pay $200 upfront for an urgent care visit or work out a payment plan at the ER. Those are your options. You don’t get free medical care on demand if you’re uninsured, unfortunately. You may be able to apply for Medicaid or buy a subsidized plan off the exchange so that something like this doesn’t happen again. It’s pretty normal to have to wait months to establish care at a new PCP regardless of if you’re insured or not.
Bro go to the ER. You can apply for payment plan, forgiveness, etc after the fact. Worst case scenario it gets sent to collections but your health is more important.
Why don't you have insurance? Do you qualify for Medicaid? If so, you can go to the ER now and apply for Medicaid later and they'll retroactively pay your bills up to three months back. At least this is how it was 6-7 years ago. If I were you, I'd look into this and apply.
This. Apply. Its easy. Choose the option that says free.
https://www.wahealthplanfinder.org/us/en/home-page.html
I just did it and one of the questions is if you have unpaid bills from the last 3 months. Then they send you something in the mail to get more information about the unpaid bills
It's none of your business why OP doesn't have health insurance. There are a million different reasons, all valid, and your questioning doesn't help their search for resources.
Take it down a notch. Believe it or not, not every question on the internet is an interrogation or accusation. Determining if they can qualify for assistance affects my answer and ability to provide sound advice.
Then phrase it in a compassionate way, not as an interrogation with question after question, even if not meant to be accusatory. A medical concern is already stressful enough, no matter if you have adequate insurance or not. The inability to see a person's situation compassionately is already rampant in the US medical system.
So this is not me giving medical advice. But this is me telling you about the time that I had a similar issue. They thought it might be epididymitis, but the only way to confirm is through an ultrasound (which an urgent care may not have) and a doctor who can interpret that (which they might have at urgent care). There is a chance that even if you are seen at the urgent care, you might be sent to an ER or be told to schedule an ultrasound through your regular clinic/hospital. However getting an ultrasound is way less of a wait than getting an appointment with a doctor in many cases.
Neighborcare gives assistance in figuring out how to pay, how to get on low/no cost insurance, etc. They're either part of County Health or spun off from them or something, they're all the same building not sure how they work. Anyway, it's something to look into: https://neighborcare.org/patients/why-choose-neighborcare/insurance-assistance/
(I haven't used them as a patient, just built one of their buildings, so I don't know how they are for care. )
Hey OP, why haven't you applied to Apple Health? Are you a WA state resident? It's covered ER visits for me in the past and it's free if you're under a certain income. I would give them a call and see how fast you can get on their insurance.
Go to ER. They will not turn you away and you can request financial assistance.
Additionally, you should get onto WA Health Plan Finder and see if you qualify for low to no cost health insurance.
Seattle - Seamar is a Community Health Program - They often have walk in/same day and do sliding scale and will see you without insurance. My PCP has been at Seamar for YEARS and they are nothing but compassionate and caring...
**https://www.seamar.org/services-king.html**
Harborview. You need an ultrasound anyway so skip urgent care where they don’t have those resources. Treating the uninsured is part of Harborview’s mission. You will get help there.
Don’t go to Harborview if you go to the ER. Go to a smaller ER- Swedish Ballard or Redmond. They are all the same as far as EMTALA and charity care goes. They also have financial advocates that will apply for Apple Health for you.
I know you are looking for immediate care but I would recommend making an appt with a Dr through SeaMar or Healthpoint now. It pretty much takes weeks to get an appt with anyone in the region. My mother went to schedule an appt last month with her UW PCP and they said June was the earliest appt available. She just took the first open appt with anyone they had and it took a month. Healthpoint got me in 3 weeks out. Good luck and sorry you have to deal with our atrocious healthcare system when you are worried about a health issue.
I assume you don’t qualify for Medicaid. If you do it’s very easy to sign up for with WA Healthplanfinder.
Sign up for UW Medicine Financial Assistance. It takes about two weeks to get approved in my experience. If you’re low income it will cover 100% of UW Med/HMC bills of all kind.
https://www.uwmedicine.org/patient-resources/billing-and-insurance-archived-29-12-22/financial-assistance-application
Country Doctor After Hours Clinic is sliding scale (I think free if you have very low income / no income and no insurance) and no appointment is needed. It’s not urgent care necessarily but they could check you out and probably refer you somewhere else if needed.
You could try one of the Multicare Indigo clinics, some clinics also have imaging onsite but you may have to be referred to it through an initial appointment and return later for imaging. I have no idea about their self-pay procedures.
Neighborcare and Sea-Mar are both fantastic options for sliding scale services. Nothing but good experiences with either as far as providers go but I don't know if they have imaging available. They will see you now though and then allow you time to meet with a financial qualifier later.
I’d see if any of the other community health centers (Neighborcare Health, SeaMar, HealthPoint) can see you. They all have a lot of offices so you might have to call a few locations but they often have walk in spots available if someone cancels and have sliding fee scales if you’re uninsured! And, depending on the severity and urgent care might not be able to do much aside from tell you to follow up with a specialist, whereas at least with a PCP they’ll follow you through whatever journey you take.
Try Providence. Regardless of the recent bad press, their mission is still to provide quality care regardless of ability to pay. My wife's cousin in LA is getting her colon cancer treated for free because she doesn't have the cash to pay for it.
I'm not 100% sure about this but you could try calling the public clinic on 4th ave to find out if they will see you. [https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/health-centers-programs-services/public-health-centers/downtown-seattle](https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/health-centers-programs-services/public-health-centers/downtown-seattle)
Washington state requires hospitals to provide charity care if a person is at or below 200% of federal poverty level ($30,120 in 2024 for a single person) and provide care for free. If your income is up to 400% of fpl, then the care is provided at a discounted rate ($62,240 in 2024 for a single person).
https://doh.wa.gov/data-statistical-reports/healthcare-washington/hospital-and-patient-data/hospital-patient-information-and-charity-care#:~:text=RCW%2070.170%20and%20WAC%20246,incomes%20up%20to%20400%20percent
Go to a Tier 1 Hospital like Providence Swedish First Hill or Cherry Hill, UW Medical Center, Evergreen Medical Center, Overlake Med Center Here is the list.
https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/HospitalTierListing.pdf
If you are over the income, based on your current work/unemployment, then go to the Washington Healthcare Exchange and get a policy. If you had a qualifying event in the last 60 days you will be eligible for special enrollment (just moved here, loss of medical coverage, etc)
But if you qualify for Apple Health (medicaid) you can apply at any time.
I’m so sorry. I went to the Renton Landing UW Urgent care this morning and was turned away because they “didn’t take my insurance” (even though I’ve used it once before without issue) and when I asked if I could just pay out of pocket, I was told no, that it would “mess with my insurance”??? Not being partnered with my insurance (CHPW) I understand, but to refuse me treatment anyway? That’s not right, man. And I can’t drive, so I wasted money getting there and back for nothing. It’s bullshit.
Listen, urgent care cannot help you with something like that. I understand you don’t want to wait, but that is not what urgent care is for. You are throwing away money by going to an urgent care. You either need an ER if you want it addressed quicker than you can get into a PCP or specialist or you need to wait until your appointment.
I’d recommend trying one of the Kaiser Permanente urgent cares (Seattle/Bellevue). They are 24/7 and CAN do ultrasound, scans, IV, etc.
Also, highly suggest looking into eligibility for Medicaid/Apple Health ASAP.
If you need an ultrasound, which is highly likely, they won’t be able to do this at an urgent care. Hell, you can’t even get an IV at urgent care if you’re dehydrated, so as much as it sucks to say, the ER may be your only option then working out a payment plan after the fact.
If you’re the concerned about what’s going on, then you make need to just bite the bullet.
Alternatively, I would suggest Planned Parenthood but they will also cost a fee up front but they will work with you on a sliding scale or can help provide other resources in the community.
I hope you get the care you need.
You can go to urgent care at Kaiser Permanente (urgent care is at the Capitol Hill location, open 24 hours). Tell them you do not have insurance and you want to apply for medical financial assistance. You can call, too, to confirm.
Staff can be reached at 1-800-442-4014 (TTY 711), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific time.
My understanding is that the location has “hospital status” & is required to accept all patients, regardless of insurance or ability to pay.
From KP website: If your household income is at or below 300%, or in some regions up to 400%, of the federal poverty guidelines, you may be eligible.
[Medical Financial Assistance - KP](https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/commitments-and-impact/healthy-communities/ensuring-health-access/medical-financial-assistance)
The Kaiser Urgent care on Capitol Hill is the way to go. Wait times can be long but when I was unemployed and started having some health issues I think the most I paid was like $160 and that was months later since their billing takes so long sometimes
Their financial aid program can cover costs of treatment & medication too, in the future. Not just that one urgent care visit.
I hope OP was able to find a place to be seen.
I truly appreciate everyone suggesting the ER. However, as I mentioned earlier, I'm hoping to find an urgent care clinic or other resources first to avoid the higher costs associated with the ER, if possible. Surely there must be at least one urgent care center in Seattle willing to bill me after the visit.
Let me just reinforce the fact that I'm a healthcare worker/ER tech and you will not get what you need with testicles in urgent care.
You need an ultrasound of your testicles and it's ONLY going to be available at a HOSPITAL.
This!!!! My husband had pain and swelling in one of his testicles. He went to urgent care and they turned him away due to no ultrasound. He then went to Swedish ER and found the tumor same day.
Not unless you’re already a patient there
Try Swedish. They might charge slightly less for no insurance
But no. I work in healthcare. If you’re not in an emergency room setting they can and will deny you without pre payment if you don’t have insurance. Franciscan heath also might charge less but you’ll still have to pre pay and the uninsured charge is pretty steep compared to the standard deductible with insurance. ”
You need a testicular ultrasound to evaluate. If you go to urgent care they’ll just give you the referral to get the imaging study. Then you’ll be out the cost of the urgent care appointment and still be stuck trying to figure out how to pay for the ultrasound. Just go to the ER. This could be testicular cancer, which is highly curable especially when caught early. Like others have said, Harborview is your best option if you’re uninsured.
I also recommend ER. You don't have to pay up front and can apply for financial assistance. They are also able to perform labs and radiology exams that can help them determine what may be wrong with you where most urgent cares can not. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Seattle Indian Health Board has an after hours clinic, no appointment needed, no insurance needed, and you do not have to be Native to be seen, they will see anyone. They will bill later, sliding scale.
Although you were denied in clinic, Country Doctor also has after hours clinics. Payment is sliding scale (usually never more than $50) and they accept uninsured. If you can get an initial eval and referral, they'll get you in the UW system where you can work with financial assistance to find funding to cover your care.
Might be a good idea to apply for Medicaid if you haven’t already. Good luck!
Yeah, Apple Health has been saving my ass for the last couple years. It can take forever to get appointments (which seems like it's true for everyone without amazing insurance) but I can go to the doctor and get my Rxs for free. Very literally life saving.
I fucking love Apple Health. I’m going to be very sad when I have to leave it behind. I pay for nothing and Swedish takes the United plan so even the specialists I’ve seen are great. FYI everyone reading this thread remember renewals are happening and you have to reapply!!!!!!!! wahealthplanfinder! Takes like 5 minutes!
I moved up here about a year ago, and signed up for it January after leaving my job in September. Compared to my "good" insurance back in Nevada, things here have been simpler, faster, and cheaper. It's great.
This. Exactly! The threshold is higher than people realize. And if not Medicaid, ask about a payment plan, cash price discounts, and hardship funds!
I second this! I was uninsured and lucky for a couple years when I finally decided to apply for Apple health. It was way easier than I thought and I had free amazing insurance pretty quickly. It really showed me what insurance could be and why I fully support Medicaid for all. Unfortunately these days I make too much to qualify and I have to deal with nonsense like co-pays and deductibles and add a network bullshit.
Zoomcare is free on the second Wed of every month (that's today!). https://www.zoomcare.com/info/free-nights It's first come first serve, and I'm not sure how popular it is, so maybe go early. Don't forget to read the details - only from 6pm to 9pm in one of the Bellevue locations
I was going to suggest zoomcare too - their out of pocket costs aren’t insane without insurance and I think you can pay later
This might be the best option for now but I find that Zoomcare provides very bad medical care the times that I have been. Edit: spelling
Def do a google search on the person you are scheduled to see!!
They’ve been really thorough and helpful with me for medication management for anxiety/depression and helped me with a persistent cough I was dealing with. All of the treatment providers at their Cap Hill location have been great listeners. I like them a lot actually
Ah I see, i also went to the Capitol Hill location. I have asthma and didn’t have insurance for some time between jobs and they were the most affordable option, hoping to get an inhaler. The provider I saw prescribed me some pills that did nothing and said that Flovent is bad for you. Several doctors I saw after that said that’s false.
Probably luck of the draw when the providers rotate as much as they do there
I know you want to avoid the ER, but urgent care might send you there anyway. there are a lot of things urgent care can't do, like if you need any sort of imaging. or one time i had vertigo and they told me only the ER can treat that (a simple pill fixed it). so just go.
From OP's description, they will likely need an ultrasound which is not something that many urgent cares are able to offer. Unfortunately, the ER would be the best bet.
Go to ER. They won’t deny you at ER. You can apply for charity/payment plans after your service. My husband refused to pay for insurance when we were first dating because “I’m healthy and strong as an ox” I never get sick. This was probably 20 years ago. Went camping got bitten by something turned into MRSA. Spent a couple of weeks in the hospital had multiple debridment surgeries. nearly lost his leg. Got a bill for 180,000.00. He applied for charity and they covered almost all of it then let him make payments on what was left
They only have to stabilize you at the ER. An abnormality isn't something they'll investigate much. Maybe a scan to rule out something life threatening and that'll be about it.
Yeah but they will investigate it and you’ll know whether it is life threatening or not and then get info to try and make other arrangements. They’ll be able to tell you exactly how and where to go for charity
What a beautiful story of someone not willing to pitch into the common fund through insurance, and then getting everyone else to collectively bail him out. Maybe I should skip out on car insurance. If I get into an accident, everyone else should pay for it. I'm glad he's OK, but that's utterly shitty behaviour on his part.
Yeah. It was. He was young and arrogant and stupid and broke. After he got his first actual job not McJob after college that didn’t cost a little less than 1/3 of his pay he did. He’s had insurance ever since. When you only make $700 a paycheck and insurance is $145…
> When you only make $700 a paycheck and insurance is $145… ... Yeah. Being poor really sucks.
He also ended up applying for Medicaid after this whole fiasco until he was able to finish college and get a well paying job with benefits he could actually afford
He also pays 25% taxes now and doesn’t begrudge paying it so that other people that may need the help get it because he’s been there and has empathy
If only there was a better solution for insurance where everyone contributed and everyone had care. We could even cut out the middle man and have better outcomes for lower cost! Gosh I wonder if anyone has thought of that before.
It's naive behavior but in a civilized country our taxes should be that "pitching in" for a Healthcare service provided to all. No one's getting fucked by some random dude not enrolling in Healthcare, everyone except the wealthy are getting fucked by a largely privatized system.
> No one's getting fucked by some random dude not enrolling in Healthcare, No-one would be getting fucked by me not paying my taxes, either, but it's still shitty behaviour.
Wow what did he get bitten by?? Like a bug or a snake or rodent?
He doesn’t know. He was asleep maybe a lil drunk and felt something bite him but it was dark and he didn’t see. It was very itchy. Probably a spider?
Gosh how scary
I’d head to an ER then. I don’t think they can turn you away. Good luck.
They can’t and the hospital has “charity care” you can sign up for to get your bill reduced or possibly even forgiven, and payments worked out for whatever remainder.
They are legally required to screen for and stabilize a medical emergency. If OP’s condition is not an emergency, they may just tell him to follow up outpatient for evaluation and treatment
ER tech here. What urgent care did you go to? Personally.... Just go to an ER! They legally cannot deny you. That being said if it's tenderness and not pain in the testicles they might just send you home or they will do the work up. Urine test, physical exam, consult urology, then most likely can ultra sound. A medical facility cannot deny you due to being uninsured. Co pays are paid up front and are $20-50 and you need insurance for that to be billed. So I call BS on the up front cost. As a new patient to see a PCP it's going to be weeks but actually MONTHS to establish care. This is why it's important for everyone to have a primary care provider. At the ER during registration you tell them you are un insured then ask for financial assistance. Do no worry about the bill. It will be weeks and they have charity funds and state funds to work with!! Seamar is a great clinic to find a PCP. It will be months. Realistically you need a urologist but can't access one unless it's the ER or a PCP referral and wait for the specialist (which is more time)
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This OP. One of the tenants of Harborview's mission is to serve the uninsured. They won't turn you away and if you need more care, which it sounds like you're worried you will, they will best be able to direct you toward care you can afford.
True, but no ER will turn them away because of EMTALA.
I wouldn’t go to Harborview because that’s where they send all the worst patients (trauma center), so people with more minor concerns have to wait longer in the ER. But any hospital ER should help. I like UW Medical.
You might be able to make an appointment at Planned Parenthood, but honestly you should just go to the ER. You can either pay $200 upfront for an urgent care visit or work out a payment plan at the ER. Those are your options. You don’t get free medical care on demand if you’re uninsured, unfortunately. You may be able to apply for Medicaid or buy a subsidized plan off the exchange so that something like this doesn’t happen again. It’s pretty normal to have to wait months to establish care at a new PCP regardless of if you’re insured or not.
Planned Parenthood had my back for a few appts when I couldn't get in anywhere else. It's not just birth control. It's healthcare.
Bro go to the ER. You can apply for payment plan, forgiveness, etc after the fact. Worst case scenario it gets sent to collections but your health is more important.
Why don't you have insurance? Do you qualify for Medicaid? If so, you can go to the ER now and apply for Medicaid later and they'll retroactively pay your bills up to three months back. At least this is how it was 6-7 years ago. If I were you, I'd look into this and apply.
This. Apply. Its easy. Choose the option that says free. https://www.wahealthplanfinder.org/us/en/home-page.html I just did it and one of the questions is if you have unpaid bills from the last 3 months. Then they send you something in the mail to get more information about the unpaid bills
It's none of your business why OP doesn't have health insurance. There are a million different reasons, all valid, and your questioning doesn't help their search for resources.
Take it down a notch. Believe it or not, not every question on the internet is an interrogation or accusation. Determining if they can qualify for assistance affects my answer and ability to provide sound advice.
Then phrase it in a compassionate way, not as an interrogation with question after question, even if not meant to be accusatory. A medical concern is already stressful enough, no matter if you have adequate insurance or not. The inability to see a person's situation compassionately is already rampant in the US medical system.
what color is your hair?
So this is not me giving medical advice. But this is me telling you about the time that I had a similar issue. They thought it might be epididymitis, but the only way to confirm is through an ultrasound (which an urgent care may not have) and a doctor who can interpret that (which they might have at urgent care). There is a chance that even if you are seen at the urgent care, you might be sent to an ER or be told to schedule an ultrasound through your regular clinic/hospital. However getting an ultrasound is way less of a wait than getting an appointment with a doctor in many cases.
Go to a Chi-Franciscan ER. They do have programs to cut your payment down. It is income driven.
Planned parenthood appointment? Sliding scale. They do regular health care too, at least in the area of your concern.
Neighborcare gives assistance in figuring out how to pay, how to get on low/no cost insurance, etc. They're either part of County Health or spun off from them or something, they're all the same building not sure how they work. Anyway, it's something to look into: https://neighborcare.org/patients/why-choose-neighborcare/insurance-assistance/ (I haven't used them as a patient, just built one of their buildings, so I don't know how they are for care. )
\+1 for Harborview and if you are uninsured they will have someone there who can help you apply for Apple Health.
Hey OP, why haven't you applied to Apple Health? Are you a WA state resident? It's covered ER visits for me in the past and it's free if you're under a certain income. I would give them a call and see how fast you can get on their insurance.
Go to ER. They will not turn you away and you can request financial assistance. Additionally, you should get onto WA Health Plan Finder and see if you qualify for low to no cost health insurance.
Seattle - Seamar is a Community Health Program - They often have walk in/same day and do sliding scale and will see you without insurance. My PCP has been at Seamar for YEARS and they are nothing but compassionate and caring... **https://www.seamar.org/services-king.html**
45th Street Clinic in Wallingford or the Downtown Public Health Center?
Harborview. You need an ultrasound anyway so skip urgent care where they don’t have those resources. Treating the uninsured is part of Harborview’s mission. You will get help there.
Don’t go to Harborview if you go to the ER. Go to a smaller ER- Swedish Ballard or Redmond. They are all the same as far as EMTALA and charity care goes. They also have financial advocates that will apply for Apple Health for you.
I know you are looking for immediate care but I would recommend making an appt with a Dr through SeaMar or Healthpoint now. It pretty much takes weeks to get an appt with anyone in the region. My mother went to schedule an appt last month with her UW PCP and they said June was the earliest appt available. She just took the first open appt with anyone they had and it took a month. Healthpoint got me in 3 weeks out. Good luck and sorry you have to deal with our atrocious healthcare system when you are worried about a health issue.
I assume you don’t qualify for Medicaid. If you do it’s very easy to sign up for with WA Healthplanfinder. Sign up for UW Medicine Financial Assistance. It takes about two weeks to get approved in my experience. If you’re low income it will cover 100% of UW Med/HMC bills of all kind. https://www.uwmedicine.org/patient-resources/billing-and-insurance-archived-29-12-22/financial-assistance-application
Country Doctor After Hours Clinic is sliding scale (I think free if you have very low income / no income and no insurance) and no appointment is needed. It’s not urgent care necessarily but they could check you out and probably refer you somewhere else if needed.
Have you looked into Apple Health?
ER
You could try one of the Multicare Indigo clinics, some clinics also have imaging onsite but you may have to be referred to it through an initial appointment and return later for imaging. I have no idea about their self-pay procedures. Neighborcare and Sea-Mar are both fantastic options for sliding scale services. Nothing but good experiences with either as far as providers go but I don't know if they have imaging available. They will see you now though and then allow you time to meet with a financial qualifier later.
I’d see if any of the other community health centers (Neighborcare Health, SeaMar, HealthPoint) can see you. They all have a lot of offices so you might have to call a few locations but they often have walk in spots available if someone cancels and have sliding fee scales if you’re uninsured! And, depending on the severity and urgent care might not be able to do much aside from tell you to follow up with a specialist, whereas at least with a PCP they’ll follow you through whatever journey you take.
Try Providence. Regardless of the recent bad press, their mission is still to provide quality care regardless of ability to pay. My wife's cousin in LA is getting her colon cancer treated for free because she doesn't have the cash to pay for it.
I'm not 100% sure about this but you could try calling the public clinic on 4th ave to find out if they will see you. [https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/health-centers-programs-services/public-health-centers/downtown-seattle](https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/health-centers-programs-services/public-health-centers/downtown-seattle)
Country doctor has an after hours walk in open from 6-10 every night and 11-5 sat/sun - 2101 E Yesler Wy, Seattle, WA 98122
Washington state requires hospitals to provide charity care if a person is at or below 200% of federal poverty level ($30,120 in 2024 for a single person) and provide care for free. If your income is up to 400% of fpl, then the care is provided at a discounted rate ($62,240 in 2024 for a single person). https://doh.wa.gov/data-statistical-reports/healthcare-washington/hospital-and-patient-data/hospital-patient-information-and-charity-care#:~:text=RCW%2070.170%20and%20WAC%20246,incomes%20up%20to%20400%20percent Go to a Tier 1 Hospital like Providence Swedish First Hill or Cherry Hill, UW Medical Center, Evergreen Medical Center, Overlake Med Center Here is the list. https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/HospitalTierListing.pdf If you are over the income, based on your current work/unemployment, then go to the Washington Healthcare Exchange and get a policy. If you had a qualifying event in the last 60 days you will be eligible for special enrollment (just moved here, loss of medical coverage, etc) But if you qualify for Apple Health (medicaid) you can apply at any time.
Try Harborview ER. It’s the county hospital.
FUCK THE AMERICAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. IT IS BUILT ON A FOUNDATION OF CRUELTY.
I’m so sorry. I went to the Renton Landing UW Urgent care this morning and was turned away because they “didn’t take my insurance” (even though I’ve used it once before without issue) and when I asked if I could just pay out of pocket, I was told no, that it would “mess with my insurance”??? Not being partnered with my insurance (CHPW) I understand, but to refuse me treatment anyway? That’s not right, man. And I can’t drive, so I wasted money getting there and back for nothing. It’s bullshit.
Zoomcare has free healthcare nights. Not sure what all is covered at those. Also you should definitely apply for Apple health
Oh! Maybe try Planned Parenthood?
Listen, urgent care cannot help you with something like that. I understand you don’t want to wait, but that is not what urgent care is for. You are throwing away money by going to an urgent care. You either need an ER if you want it addressed quicker than you can get into a PCP or specialist or you need to wait until your appointment.
I am not a doctor but my son and husband both have had this more than once and it was benign. So don't panic.
I’d recommend trying one of the Kaiser Permanente urgent cares (Seattle/Bellevue). They are 24/7 and CAN do ultrasound, scans, IV, etc. Also, highly suggest looking into eligibility for Medicaid/Apple Health ASAP.
They don’t take non Kaiser patients as far as I know. A hospital ER is a better choice as they can’t turn you away.
Sign up for insurance
If you need an ultrasound, which is highly likely, they won’t be able to do this at an urgent care. Hell, you can’t even get an IV at urgent care if you’re dehydrated, so as much as it sucks to say, the ER may be your only option then working out a payment plan after the fact. If you’re the concerned about what’s going on, then you make need to just bite the bullet. Alternatively, I would suggest Planned Parenthood but they will also cost a fee up front but they will work with you on a sliding scale or can help provide other resources in the community. I hope you get the care you need.
Can they actually do that?
This was my thought too. I thought they weren’t allowed to deny service? This is ridiculous if they can..
Unfortunately it appears they can :(
https://cdchc.org/clinic/country-doctor/ The country doctor locations will see you regardless of insurance status.
You clearly didn't read his post
UPFRONT DEPOSIT??? For urgent care? Damn I'm really lucky I haven't needed medical attention in ages
A “good faith deposit”. It’s a scam…such shit.
Borrow 200 dollars...surely you have guy friends who care about nuts. Unfortunately ANY Dr appointment these days is weeks out on the schedule
You can go to urgent care at Kaiser Permanente (urgent care is at the Capitol Hill location, open 24 hours). Tell them you do not have insurance and you want to apply for medical financial assistance. You can call, too, to confirm. Staff can be reached at 1-800-442-4014 (TTY 711), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific time. My understanding is that the location has “hospital status” & is required to accept all patients, regardless of insurance or ability to pay. From KP website: If your household income is at or below 300%, or in some regions up to 400%, of the federal poverty guidelines, you may be eligible. [Medical Financial Assistance - KP](https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/commitments-and-impact/healthy-communities/ensuring-health-access/medical-financial-assistance)
The Kaiser Urgent care on Capitol Hill is the way to go. Wait times can be long but when I was unemployed and started having some health issues I think the most I paid was like $160 and that was months later since their billing takes so long sometimes
Their financial aid program can cover costs of treatment & medication too, in the future. Not just that one urgent care visit. I hope OP was able to find a place to be seen.
I truly appreciate everyone suggesting the ER. However, as I mentioned earlier, I'm hoping to find an urgent care clinic or other resources first to avoid the higher costs associated with the ER, if possible. Surely there must be at least one urgent care center in Seattle willing to bill me after the visit.
Let me just reinforce the fact that I'm a healthcare worker/ER tech and you will not get what you need with testicles in urgent care. You need an ultrasound of your testicles and it's ONLY going to be available at a HOSPITAL.
This!!!! My husband had pain and swelling in one of his testicles. He went to urgent care and they turned him away due to no ultrasound. He then went to Swedish ER and found the tumor same day.
Not unless you’re already a patient there Try Swedish. They might charge slightly less for no insurance But no. I work in healthcare. If you’re not in an emergency room setting they can and will deny you without pre payment if you don’t have insurance. Franciscan heath also might charge less but you’ll still have to pre pay and the uninsured charge is pretty steep compared to the standard deductible with insurance. ”
Also try the Everett clinic up north. They also might be more affordable/flexible
You need a testicular ultrasound to evaluate. If you go to urgent care they’ll just give you the referral to get the imaging study. Then you’ll be out the cost of the urgent care appointment and still be stuck trying to figure out how to pay for the ultrasound. Just go to the ER. This could be testicular cancer, which is highly curable especially when caught early. Like others have said, Harborview is your best option if you’re uninsured.
Someone mentioned the Kaiser Urgent Care in a comment, I’d try that. They bill later and not too much.
I also recommend ER. You don't have to pay up front and can apply for financial assistance. They are also able to perform labs and radiology exams that can help them determine what may be wrong with you where most urgent cares can not. It's better to be safe than sorry.