Resources for the Insured, Uninsured, and Uninsurable, in Georgia

If you are uninsured, there are several resources to assist. If you're uninsurable there are resources in the link above as well as below. Some are taxpayer funded while others rely on charitable contributions.

Discounts up to 80%. Doctor' order NOT required. CLIA certified labs. Confidential results in 24 - 48 hours. Partners with Careington Total Care discount medical plans (see below).

Careington Total Care

Receive quality health care at affordable prices. Careington Total Care is not insurance, but an affordable health care discount plan with more than 525,000 participating health care professionals. Save 20-45% on routine medical care such as office visits. Save 20-25% on hospital and surgery. Save 20-60% on most dental services. There are more than 40,000 vision care professionals and over 53,000 pharmacies. Access our 24 nurse hotline through Carenet.

Plan Details, search for participating providers then APPLY ONLINE.

Charitable and Taxpayer Funded Resources

Coverage for All - a powerful site with information on taxpayer funded programs for the poor and uninsured. Most, but not all, are income based.

State Risk Pools - Links to every state that has a high risk pool for medically uninsurable individuals.

Medicaid Eligibility by State Find out if you are eligible for Medicaid in any state.

Patient Services Incorporated - For nearly two decades, PSI has helped people who live with certain chronic illnesses or conditions locate suitable health insurance coverage and access ways to satisfy expensive co-payments. PSI provides assistance with the cost of health insurance premiums associated with COBRAs, State High Risk Pools, Open enrollment, Guaranteed Issue policies, HIPAA conversion policies; and prescriptions co-payments associated with private insurance as well as with Medicare Parts B and D.

The HealthWell Foundation® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable organization that helps individuals afford prescription medications they are taking for specific illnesses. The Foundation provides financial assistance to eligible patients to cover certain out-of-pocket health care costs

Copay Relief - The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) Co-Pay Relief Program (CPR) currently provides direct financial support to insured patients, including Medicare Part D beneficiaries, who must financially and medically qualify to access pharmaceutical co-payment assistance.

Insure Kids Now - Kids that do not currently have health insurance are likely to be eligible, even if you are working. The states have different eligibility rules, but in most states, uninsured children 18 years old and younger, whose families earn up to $34,100 a year (for a family of four) are eligible.

Patient Advocate Foundation - Patient Advocate Foundation is a national non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability relative to their diagnosis of life threatening or debilitating diseases. Check out the PAF resource guide for your state by clicking here.

BeniCard – National discount plan for doctor, hospital, Rx and more. Over 450,000 participating providers provide discounts up to 50%. For less than $30 per month you can access discounts with medical, dental, and vision providers.

Georgia Core Health - Core Health is GUARANTEED ACCEPTANCE for eligible members in Georgia. There are no medical questions or physical exam to qualify. Coverage begins the NEXT DAY. Family plans starting under $200 per month. Choose any doctor, clinic or hospital. Add the Georgia Accident Insurance for a few dollars more.

Georgia Accident Insurance - SAM (Smart Accident medical) covers your accident related medical expenses up to $250,000! No networks, use any doctor, hospital or emergency room. Covers surgery for accident related injury in or out of the hospital. Benefits for ICU, ambulance (including air ambulance), X-ray, lab and more. GUARANTEED ACCEPTANCE. No health questions or physical exam to qualify. Perfect as a compliment to HIGH DEDUCTIBLE plans or for those who are UNINSURED. Pairs well with Core Georgia Health insurance. Healthfinder – Enter your city, state or zip code to locate public health clinics where you can receive primary or specialty care, including dental & mental health services. Benefit Checkup – National Council on Aging helps in finding government benefits you are entitled to. B.E.S.T.– Are you eligible for benefits from Social Security? Find out what you are entitled to with B.E.S.T. (Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool).

Christian Medi-Share – A faith based program, Medi-Share brings Christians together to share medical bills with one another. The key here is that medical needs are SHARED among members.

Christian Healthcare Ministries - Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) is an affordable, faith-based solution for Christians to rising health care costs and expensive health insurance policies. We are a nationwide group of Christian individuals and families united to voluntarily share each other’s medical bills.

Net Wish – A charitable organization that reviews requests for financial assistance in paying medical bills. The maximum request for aid is $500.

Out of Pocket – How much does a procedure or treatment cost? Find out from this continuously expanding database.

Georgia Health Insurance Resources

DOI Agent search - Is the insurance agent who is working with you licensed to conduct business in Georgia? Find out.

DOI Consumer Services FAQ - Quick answers about COBRA, conversion plans, networks, complaints and more.

DOI Application for assignment- Guaranteed acceptance insurance plan for HIPAA eligible's following expiration of COBRA. Important note. Coverage through the Georgia Assignment System does not include network discounts or PPO repricing. As a result, you may be faced with thousands of dollars in unreimbursed out of pocket medical bills. We encourage those opting for coverage through the Georgia Assignment System to consider a PPO network such as the one available through Careington.

Careington Total Care provides discounts of 20 - 45% and access to more than 525,000 medical providers nationwide. Enjoy discounts on doctor charges, hospital bills, prescription drugs, dental care and more. Apply online

Dental Benefits – Compare up to 30 dental plans to find the one that best suits your needs.

Atlanta Community Access Coalition- Atlanta Community Access assists in helping uninsured in Fulton county access health services for the uninsured and underinsured.

Babies Can't Wait - Georgia Dep't of Human Resources information site for babies and toddlers with developmental disabilities.

Brave Kids - Medical resource information on children with chronic or life-threatening illness and disabilities

Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation - Medical resource directory for children with cancer

Children 1st - Georgia resource to promote and protect the health of children

Georgia PeachCare for Kids - Information on Georgia PeachCare (SCHIP) including eligibility, benefits and more.

Georgia PeachCare PDF - Information sheet on PeachCare in PDF format

Georgia Department of Community Health - Georgia Medicaid information by county

Georgia Families - Choose a health plan and PCP (Primary Care Provider) for each family member eligible for Georgia Medicaid or PeachCare

Georgia Health Partnership - The Georgia Health Partnership (GHP) is a powerful resource with information on Medicaid, PeachCare for Kids and much more.

Georgia Transplant Foundation - Part of a unique national transplant community founded by a transplant recipient. GTF provides financial and educational assistance for those undergoing or waiting on an organ transplant.

Shepherd Center WIPA- Work Incentives Planning Assistance (WIPA). Cooperative agreement between Shepherd Spinal Center and the Social Security Administration to provide planning and guidance for those on SSDI. Overview of SSDI, work rules and Medicaid buy in.

Georgia Core Health - Guaranteed acceptance insurance plan for those who cannot afford or qualify for underwritten major medical or the Georgia Assignment Policy. Can be paired with SAM (Smart Accident Medical Insurance) or applied for stand alone.

Georgia Medicaid Eligibility – Find out if you are eligible for Georgia Medicaid

Consumer Guide to Buying and Keeping Health Insurance in Georgia - What you need to know about your rights for buying and keeping health insurance in Georgia.

Georgia Advance Health Care Directive- Replaces the no longer valid "living will" and health care power of attorney. Provides instructions for health care when one is incapacitated and conveys power of attorney in one form.

Georgia Cares - Georgia Cares is a non-profit organization that assists uninsured Georgian's in obtaining non-emergency health care services through a network of voluntary providers.

Parent to Parent in Georgia – Support and information to parents of children with disabilities.

Glossary of medical and insurance billing terms - What is a copay, deductible or Health Savings Account (HSA) mean? Do the letters EOB, CPT-4 and ICD-9 mean anything to me and why should I care? CHOA (Children's Health Care of Atlanta) has answers to this an more.

St. Joseph's Mercy Care – Primary care, social services, dental care and health education to poor, homeless and immigrant population.

National Association of Free Clinics – Resources and lists of free or reduced payment clinics in Georgia and the U.S.
Take Care Walk-in Clinics - Locate walk in clinics for low cost, non-emergency care.
Minute Clinic Walk-in Clinics - Locate walk in clinics for low cost, non-emergency care

Georgia Dental Resources

Georgia Dental Association - Locate GDA members who offer low cost dental clinics. Services are not free, but available on a sliding scale.

Georgia Free Clinic Network - Low cost medical and dental clinics in Georgia.

Affordable Dental Insurance Plans - Review and compare a variety of dental insurance and dental PPO plans in Georgia.

Medical Information Resources

My Medical Reports- New resource for general health care information as well as specific item's such as women's health, pediatrics, sports medicine and more.

Real Age- How old are you and how old do you feel? Real age is a guide to looking and feeling younger than you really are. Free newsletter.

Health - All things health related. Find information on diseases and conditions, healthy eating, weight loss, health related news and more.

Health News Review - A snapshot of current medical news harvested from various sources. Great resource.

Medic 8 - Online medical dictionary. Search medical terms, review disease information, health guides and more.

Healthfinder - Healthfinder is an award winning government site, loaded with useful information in plain language.

U.S. Health and Human Services - Comprehensive health information for consumers.

National Institute for Child Health and Development - Federal government research facility.

WebMD - THE source for all things medical

Prescription Medication Assistance

The cost of medication has skyrocketed in the last few years.
Below are resources to provide financial help in covering or discounting the cost of medications.

Rx Hope - RxHope is exactly what its name implies...a helping hand to people in need in obtaining critical medications that they would normally have trouble affording. We act as your advocate in making the patient assistance program journey easier and faster by supplying vital information and help.

Needy Meds - NeedyMeds.org has information on medicine and healthcare assistance programs. Needy Meds has information on more than 2,000 clinics that charge little or nothing.

FDA - Information on therapeutic equivalent medications. How much money can you save by switching to a lower cost medication? Instructions on how to use the site available here.

Many medications come in generic form and can be filled for as little as $4 for a 30 day supply. Information on generics is available here.

You may want to check specifics on generic pricing by visiting these sites for Wal-Mart, Target or Kroger

Three low cost sources for mail-order prescriptions have proved to be reliable and beneficial.

BlueSky Drugs - Lower pricing than CrossBorder or Isra Meds on many popular medications.

Cross Border Pharmacy – A Canadian pharmacy that locates the best pricing on meds from all over the world.

Isra Meds - Low cost source, often less than Canadian drug pricing. Shipped with Kosher markings. Usually such packages do not get interrupted by U. S. Customs or the FDA.

How Much Does it Cost?

General reference sources to help you navigate the health care maze.

Humana Rx Pricing Guide – Get a rough idea of how much medications cost for insured patients.

Direct Labs – Low cost lab procedures using local providers. Online pricing for most major tests.

Doctor Pricing - Doctorpricing.com is for patients and consumers who want to pay cash for medical services. We are ideal for those with high deductible health plans as well as those who do not have insurance.

Out of Pocket – How much does a procedure cost? Find out here.

Blogs

Blogs can be a powerful resource when you have the right sources.

Here are a few we like.

InsureBlog – General information resource on health related issues.

Diabetes Mine – Comprehensive resource for those with diabetes.

The Cancer Blog – One of the best sources for cancer information on the web.

Cancer.org – An equally good source for information on all things related to cancer

Insured Links and Resources

Site map links for major carriers

Aetna site map

Blue Cross of Georgia site map

Humana site map

United HealthCare site map

Application link for all major carriers

PPO network link for all major carriers

Georgia Department of Insurance

We trust you have found this information to be helpful. If you find that links are not working, or if you know of resources that should be considered for addition, please contact us.

Georgia Insurance Shop.com