The Clipper

Issue date: 10/23/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Photo by Sam Fisher

Times are tough for students, and many find themselves without health insurance.

Luckily, there are local options for those with little or no insurance.

Several walk-in clinics are near the EvCC campus. However, if you're using any insurance, you will want to check to make sure it's accepted first. Other options closer to campus offer more than a walk-in can, in regards to the service rendered.

The Community Health Center of Snohomish County at 1410 Broadway and Providence Everett Healthcare Clinic at 1001 Broadway are not walk-in clinics, but do offer same-day service if you call ahead for an appointment.

CHC offers many services, including behavioral health, chronic disease management, diabetes care, family practice, immunizations, nutrition, pediatrics, psychiatry and a pharmacy. The clinic can be reached at (425) 789-2000.

Providence offers a sliding scale based on your income. Contact a financial counselor to determine the cost for a specific ailment or illness. They can be reached at (425) 317-0300. Anyone wishing to seek financial assistance will need to provide a recent pay stub with year-to-date earnings and complete a financial assistance form, which can be found at providence.org.

Providence bases their sliding scale on the 2007 Federal Poverty Guideline (FPG). The FPG for a family of three is $17,600. If you make less than 250 percent of the FPG ($44,000 for a family of three) and have no insurance, you may be eligible for a discounted rate.

Financial assistance covers office exams and certain medical procedures. Depending on your gross family income, family size and any family members who already have insurance coverage, the discount can range between 10 percent and 75 percent off the charge; however you will still be expected to pay full price for immunizations, supplies and medications you receive at the clinic.

Clinic staff can give you an estimate when an appointment is scheduled and an exact amount at the end of the visit. At that point, you will be expected to pay the full cost of your portion of the bill. If you are unable to pay for the services, you will be referred to the emergency room for treatment.

Providence offers more than just medical options, including free dental care for established patients. A truck comes out twice a month to treat Providence patients free of charge. They expect to offer mental health treatment on site after the first of the year. Not bad for a spot that hundreds of EvCC students park next to on a daily basis on their way to class.

If you have less than desirable insurance, you still need not worry.

Public Relations Manager Cheri Russum says Providence takes "any insurance and Medicaid." The clinic was developed five years ago and offers follow-up care.

"Say you come in for an ear infection and are placed on antibiotics, you can schedule a follow up appointment for a week later to ensure that the ear infection is cleared up," said Russum.

"If you go to the emergency room with an ear infection, emergency rooms are designed for emergencies, they don't do follow up care there, just episodic care, so while they would still give you an antibiotic, you'd still need to get an appointment at an outpatient clinic somewhere to follow up to make sure the antibiotic cleared the infection. It's better for the patient to see the same provider and get care at the same place for both the original ear infection and to ensure that it has been taken care of."

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