Is insurance free in USA?
Healthcare in the United States: The top five things you need to know:
- There is no universal healthcare. The U.S. government does not provide health benefits to citizens or visitors. Any time you get medical care, someone has to pay for it.
- Healthcare is very expensive. According to a U.S. government website, if you break your leg, you could end up with a bill for $7,500. If you need to stay in the hospital for three days, it would probably cost about $30,000.
- Most people in the U.S. have health insurance. Health insurance protects you from owing a lot of money to doctors or hospitals if you get sick or hurt. To get health insurance, you need to make regular payments (called “premiums”) to a health insurance company. In exchange, the company agrees to pay some, or all, of your medical bills.
- You will get most of your care from your “primary care provider” (PCP). After you buy health insurance, you can choose a PCP who is part of your insurance company’s network. If you buy a MIT health insecure plan, you will. Choose your new PCP could be a nurse practitioner or a physician. You will see your PCP when you need a physical exam or lab test, when you are sick, or if you need care for an ongoing condition, like diabetes or high blood pressure.
- You will usually need an appointment to get medical care. If you want to see your PCP, you will need to call your PCP’s office to make an appointment. When you call, you need to explain why you need the appointment. If you are sick or hurt, you will get an appointment very soon. If you just need a routine physical exam, you might have to wait several weeks or even a month.
NOTE: If you have a medical emergency or urgent need, you can get care immediately.
What if you have an urgent medical problem that needs immediate attention? It could be a urinary tract infection (UTI), vomiting or dehydration, severe sore throat or cough, or a strained ankle or wrist—not an emergency, but not something that can wait very long.
As an MIT affiliate, you can call MIT Medical’s 24-hour Help Line at 617-253-4481 to get advice about an urgent medical problem. You can use our interpreter service when you call. If a clinician is not readily available, we will take your number and call you back within an hour.
When you speak with the clinician by phone, they will help you in one of the following ways:
- Answer your questions, give you advice, and/or explain what you should do immediately at home.
- Ask you to come in right away.
- Direct you to the nearest emergency room or one of our affiliated hospitals.
If you can’t take care of the problem at home, you will need to see a doctor or nurse practitioner. If you have the medical plan, a clinician at MIT Medical can see you. You have two options at MIT Medical:
- Urgent Care: The Urgent care service is open from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. M–F, and 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
- Same-day appointment: Call your primary care provider (PCP) or—if you don’t have a PCP—call MIT Medical at 617-253-4481 to speak with a clinician and explain your problem. Very often, we can give you an appointment the same day, although the appointment may not be with your PCP. Instead, it will be with another provider who has time in their schedule that day.
