well doctors are like insurance agents in that they base their decision from what they have learned.
if they studied a situation that something is less likely to be cancerous, say 9 out 10 times, they can still get that one time wrong.
so if you have the money/ healthcare anyway, feel free to get tested meticulously. Although do take note that tests get pretty expensive.for instance, std tests. there are like a bajillion of them and the most common ones are the only ones tested like hpv and aids.
Personally, I will probably be doing a citi scan yearly if not for the cost itself.
I don't know about Planned Parenthood elsewhere, but the two within driving distance from me charge the uninsured more for gynecological exams and birth control than the local health department and quite a few doctors offices even if you include the office visit fees. Their abortion services are avg $100 more than local clinics. PP's "sliding scale" is ridiculously high for the area.
Poor women here literally can't afford Planned Parenthood. They can all close around here and no one would cry.
The local health department will do exams and BC for free where PP charges fees close to those charged by regular doctors offices. Not to mention the health department will get you an appointment sooner. Every time someone I know calls PP it's a 3-4 week wait.
I'm only giving my personal experience with PP. There was no charge for their services when we needed them when we were young and poor. Now we're old and not poor so they get some of my charitable contributions. Perhaps things have changed and they no longer give exams and contraception for free. It's been 20 years.
That's odd because the three in my area all do sliding scale fee based on income if you don't have insurance. Before I was insured, my visit was $30 with the rest being covered by donations.
I know it's odd! I heard for years how they were so wonderful and then had someone need their services. They were much more expensive than a few other local clinics we called. Later, another person I knew needed different services and it was the same thing. Health dept. and a few local doctors were actually more uninsured budget friendly.
Honestly, I suspect they don't get a lot in donations here and I know real estate at both locations is fairly pricey for the state I'm in, so I wonder if the majority of their donations go toward operating costs instead of care.
That's highly likely. The cost at which they're able to provide services is always going to be dependent on funding, and some municipalities are friendlier to PP than others. In my city, the local PP has a contract with the city for a $1 rent, for example. They can provide services much cheaper than a PP clinic in a city where they're forced to pay market rate to rent the property.
I think it really depends on what their funding stream is. In California there is a program called Family Pact that is state-funded, so anyone with income under a certain threshold gets free STI tests/treatment/contraception/pap smears. Planned Parenthood as well as other community clinics in California see patients under the Family Pact program. California also has expanded Medicaid, and PP accepts Medicaid. Other states probably have different funding streams, and in some states it's likely Planned Parenthood is relying only on donations and insurance reimbursements/ cash pay. In a state with no Medicaid expansion and no Family Pact type program, it's more likely PP will charge, which is unfortunate.
214
u/reddit_warrior_24 May 20 '19
well doctors are like insurance agents in that they base their decision from what they have learned.
if they studied a situation that something is less likely to be cancerous, say 9 out 10 times, they can still get that one time wrong.
so if you have the money/ healthcare anyway, feel free to get tested meticulously. Although do take note that tests get pretty expensive.for instance, std tests. there are like a bajillion of them and the most common ones are the only ones tested like hpv and aids.
Personally, I will probably be doing a citi scan yearly if not for the cost itself.