Note: The information contained in this article is for
educational purposes and is not medical advice.
No insurance coverage? As of 2004, there are approximately 44 million people in the United States who have no health insurance and no health coverage. There are many more who are underinsured.
To find a large list of resources for the uninsured, including prevention tips, funded programs, and effective health care consumerism, visit http://stollfoundation.org/uninsured_resources.shtml. Jan is the Managing Director of that organization and has compiled that list with the help of others.
Because the Stoll Foundation is a non-profit organization, their website may not include links from commercial businesses. Thus, below you will find helpful resources for the uninsured that are not included there. The list below is not complete -- we recommend you visit Stoll Foundation's website first.
Note that Life Spring Healing Arts does not take responsibility for any website or resource listed here. The contents are solely the responsibility of their originators, and Life Spring Healing Arts shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly by making use of any of this information.
The Merck company, at http://www.merck.com/pubs has several useful online books available for free use, including:
The Merck Manual-- Home Edition (a home medical reference)
The Merck Index (A one-volume encyclopedia of chemicals, drugs and biologicals). Look up any medications you are taking for full information, including side effects and which drugs should not be taken together.
The Merck Manual of Health and Aging (A comprehensive guide to the changes and challenges of aging)
The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy (a widely used medical textbook). Use this book to understand the conventional medical approach and terminology to any diagnosis or disease.
The Merck Manual of Geriatrics (A comprehensive review of geriatric medicine and care of the elderly)
Recapture Your Healthby Walt Stoll, MD
and Jan DeCourtney, CMT. This book contains information about what causes illness, a 3-part wellness plan that helps reverse chronic illness, pain, and symptoms, and strategies for living a healthy life.
Doctor Yourselfby Andrew Saul, Ph.D. His book is very user-friendly and gives some great suggestions for self-help.
Free discussion of your health issue.www.askwaltstollmd.com You may ask health questions on the bulletin board directly to Dr. Stoll and volunteers. Articles and archives about most health problems are also available. Dr. Stoll combines alternative with conventional medicine, so a broad perspective is available.
Consult a practitioner online. http://www.teladoc.com provides telephone consultations with a doctor for $35, plus an $18 registration fee and a small monthly fee. www.justanswer.com/health has a group of doctors and nurses online. Ask a question, get an answer ASAP. You set up an account with a user name and password. You have choices as to a doctor or a dentist (and there are other subjects too). You are then asked what you would pay for the answer -- $9, $15, or $30. If you are really struggling with a problem, this may be a valid resource.
Andrew Saul's website www.doctoryourself.com is a useful alternative resource for self-help.
See also the physical health links and
mental/emotional health links on this website. On these pages, I have attempted to gather as many websites as I could with self-help information.
Shop around
Check prices at different pharmacies, optical stores, etc.
Some charge much lower fees than others. Discount store
pharmacies, optical stores, etc. sometimes offer very low prices. One individual wrote: "I do not have any insurance so I have been pricing drugs. I heard on TV about there only being a few places around that do not have a big markup on their drugs and Costco (Cosco?) and Walmart were some. K Mart will match their prices. The price difference for me was $30 at the regular pharmacies and $6.50 at the others."
If you know of other resources.... Please e-mail me and let me know if you are aware of or have used any other helpful resources, especially those that are available nationally. I am hoping that we can compile a sizeable list, but need the help of others to accomplish this.
Website Claimer and Disclaimer: In the holistic healing model, each person is responsible for one's own health and makes one's own choices in healing. The information in this website is provided for your information and education. It is not medical advice. Any application of the information is at your own discretion. If you feel you need to do so, consult with your physician or other knowledgeable health care practitioner before or while making use of this information.
