How to Get Telehealth Care When You’re Uninsured

We have all had to adjust to virtual living in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many small business owners have taken their businesses online through eCommerce and marketing through social media. The health system has also been forced to adjust, including adapting to virtual health appointments. Now that we’re all adjusting to the “new normal,” telehealth remains one of the conveniences that are here to stay.

Telehealth has proven to be an affordable option for millions of people who don’t have insurance through their employers. So if you’re currently interested in telehealth for uninsured persons, we have you covered. Here is everything you need to know about the benefits of telemedicine and how you can take advantage of the virtual medical boom.

Know What Telehealth Includes – Get Telehealth Care When You’re Uninsured

Telehealth refers to mixing any digital info and communication software with medical care. The mode doesn’t matter; it can be a computer, a smartphone, or any electronic device that lets you communicate via software like Zoom or even a simple text message.

Goals of Telehealth

The healthcare industry is naturally supposed to be at the forefront of technology. So if an advancement on the horizon could save lives, researchers are likely trying to get it out to medical professionals ASAP.

Telehealth is one of those innovations. The overarching goals of the technology are to help improve how patients can access care and the quality of care that doctors and nurses can provide.

The mobile health (mHealth) goals are broken down into five main points:

• First, healthcare should be accessible to everyone, even those underserved in remote or isolated areas.
• Medical specialists need to be more accessible to everyone.
• People who have trouble affording transportation or struggle with mobility — or don’t have enough hours in the day — should be able to receive the same care as those with the means.
• Real-time communication among healthcare teams improves critical patient care opportunities.
• Patients should be able to manage their healthcare at home with support as needed.

Each of those targets will improve healthcare quality and reach distinctly different ways.

Telehealth in Action

Here’s a simple example of daily telehealth in a medical clinic.

• The typical busy office receives numerous phone calls hourly. These calls are often from patients who want to talk to the doctor about something they’re concerned about.
• The office staff’s job is to field those calls and only pass urgent messages on to the doctor. But, with an online portal, patients and providers work together in a coordinated fashion, making the front office staff’s lives easier.
• Administrative workers are essential to medical practice but aren’t trained in the medical field and don’t always recognize the difference between a minor symptom and a dangerous sign.

Instead, if a patient logs into their telehealth portal and enters a symptom, the system would cross-check it with the patient’s diagnosis and alert the provider if it fits the criteria.

Get Telehealth Care When You’re Uninsured

When you don’t have insurance, going to the doctor is one of those things that takes a backseat to other expenses. Your health is a priority, though. So it should come first —and it can — if you know where to find free and low-cost televisions. Many health centers provide telehealth services on a sliding scale. It doesn’t matter if you can pay; they care for you anyway. Use the HRSA Data Warehouse to see any centers near you. You may have to attend the first time in person, but once you’re established, you can virtually access their doctors for follow-up healthcare services.

Mental Health Care

Mental and behavioral health is part of your overall wellness, and counseling is available online. In addition, the stigma about mental illness is disappearing. In its place is a focus on helping people understand themselves better and learning how to handle their emotions and behaviors. If you’re concerned about putting money into therapy, check out all of the mental health services provided by Teladoc Health through Selfgood’s affordable membership. Help is out there; you don’t have to leave your house to get it.

Other Options for Telehealth Services

Maybe you’re self-employed and don’t qualify for free or reduced services, or you prefer something consistent where you pick the healthcare providers you see. You’re not out of luck. You need self-good!

Selfgood partners with the Alliance of Gig Workers, giving members access to discounted corporate insurance rates. The Limited Indemnity Plan gig workers get through Selfgood includes telehealth at little-to-no cost to you. In addition, for a small premium, you’ll get access to clinicians or hospitals you choose.

And, with Aetna’s First Health provider network, your options are even more significant. Put your health in your hands by investing in Selfgood’s insurance plans. You’ll have the peace of mind of knowing telehealth, regular doctor’s office visits, specialists, and the emergency room are all within reach and affordable.

Read more: Supplemental Benefits for Independent Contractors, Entrepreneurs, and Freelancers.

A New Outlook on Telehealth Benefits – Get Telehealth Care When You’re Uninsured

Direct care isn’t the only sector feeling the advantages of telehealth. Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies have seen a difference in their profit margins.

Government Insurance Restrictions

Medicare, Medicaid, and other government health plans can be strict. For example, recipients must already be established with the provider and engage in a video visit. Otherwise, insurance coverage won’t reimburse the office.

Private Insurance and Telehealth

Private insurers vary in how they cover telehealth services but tend to be more flexible than government programs. For example, many companies offer this benefit for free or with a small copay charged to members. In addition, patients can opt for online visits where a form is used to list symptoms and problems, and the physician emails a response. Or video and phone consultations are available as long as the provider uses the insurer’s approved app or online interface.

Self-Pay Telehealth

You can still benefit from telemedicine services if you don’t have insurance. Because it makes it easier for providers to connect with patients, many private-pay services are offered through your smartphone or computer. Wherever you are, you can be connected to a professional doctor, counselor, or nurse to use telehealth for a discounted fee.

Telehealth Appointment or Physical Visit? Get Telehealth Care When You’re Uninsured

Telehealth isn’t intended to replace doctor’s visits. Instead, it’s a supplemental aspect that works hand-in-hand with them to streamline care. Consider it a method of health services that separates urgent from important.

What Televisits Help With

Your doctor can deny a telehealth visit if you have something more severe than a virtual consultation can handle. However, if you have a minor or moderate problem, a television can streamline your care and get you in front of a doctor (via a screen) faster than the wait times of an office visit. In addition, televisions are beneficial for problems that aren’t urgent but are essential, like:

• Flu-like symptoms
• Chickenpox
• Intestinal issues
• Coughing, fever, sore throat, and other signs of a cold or virus
• Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
• Headaches and migraines
• Heartburn
• Rashes, insect bites, and other skin conditions
• Sinus pain or infection

In general, if it’s important enough that it needs a doctor’s help to fix it, but it’s not part of a severe health condition, a television could solve the problem.

What You Should Know About Telehealth

Not every doctor provides telehealth services, although many are working on the transition. However, it requires a substantial investment in technology resources and secure healthcare platforms, so some providers haven’t moved into that sector yet. When you do find a doctor who offers teleservices, it means you’ll get access to the following types of assistance:

• Patient portals that store your medical records, including updated lab and diagnostic testing, and where you can communicate with the doctor and nurse
• Virtual appointments for non-urgent care
• Remote apps that allow the physician to monitor your health from a distance

We’ve barely scratched the surface of the advantages of telehealth in the medical field, but there’s enough evidence to show it’s a service that isn’t going away. Remember that there are some disadvantages to getting your healthcare provided over a virtual screen. There are some realities that technology can’t overcome quite yet, such as the impossibility of an in-person doctor visit. Hands-on care is sometimes what clinicians need to make a final diagnosis.

Telehealth with someone who isn’t your primary care provider relies on you to be open and honest about your medical history and current symptoms. Whether you think something is related or not, it needs to be shared with the doctor. Otherwise, they may not be able to give you an accurate diagnosis.

Who Benefits From Telehealth Care?

When the pandemic was at its peak, we were all nervous about every minor cough and sniffle. The problem was that going to the doctor in a person exposed us to more germs and was a risk to their staff and other patients. It was a Catch-22 that had to be fixed fast.

There Was a Problem. Telehealth Became the Solution.

Most insurance companies used to see telehealth services as “less than” an actual visit. So they’d deny reimbursement, and the doctor would have to write off the service or bill the patient. But during the pandemic, the government wanted to track the number of coronavirus cases. However, no one wanted to go anywhere to get tested for fear of catching or spreading the virus. Symptoms of severe conditions like heart attacks were ignored for the same reason.

Telehealth Saves the Day!

It quickly became apparent that clinicians needed to see patients and that virtual visits were way better than no visits. Insurance companies approved emergency measures to allow televisions, and patients felt safe again. Post-pandemic telehealth services have become the preferred option for many patients and insurance companies.

How Patients, Staff, and Doctors Benefit from Telehealth

Going to the doctor was universally dreaded by so many that there was a name for it: White Coat Syndrome (WCS). Patients with WCS can exhibit the following symptoms:

• High blood pressure
• Sweating
• Nausea
• Fainting

This syndrome has almost miraculously disappeared with the in-person component taken out of the visit. Patients benefit from telehealth by uploading their food, blood pressure, and blood sugar logs to their portal. In addition, nurses review and respond electronically if changes are necessary. Patient portals cut down on the stress of going to the office for refills on prescriptions or testing supplies or the delay of waiting until your next appointment to see your lab and test results.

Of course, these changes also benefit the office staff and physicians, who can conveniently check and respond to requests. Automated text and email services also remind patients about their upcoming appointments or when to schedule a visit.

Conclusion – Get Telehealth Care When You’re Uninsured

The world is going virtual at warp speed. You can take advantage of this change by handling your minor medical concerns with telehealth via an experienced healthcare professional.

Selfgood’s services provide freelancers with everything they need to succeed in this new, mostly online era, including healthcare. So take care of your health today and see the other benefits Selfgood offers.