need recommendations on a doctor, i have no insurance. (Katy: purchase, deductible)

[parisby]

I am a male and have been putting a personal unknown medical condition off for about 5 years now simply because I am nervous with seeing doctors, and embarassed of my problem and also I have no medical insurance. Can someone please recommend me a doctor that specializes in male checkups that won't charge me an arm and leg. My workplace offers no medical insurance and I cannot afford to get one on my own, and my condition seems to be getting worse. I am curious to find out what it is and hope there is a fix for what I have. I am just nervous because of those 2 factors.

Help would be greatly appreciated.

I would prefer somewhere on the westside Katy area if possible.

[EM1956]

Kelsey Seybold Katy is always an option. I believe that they charge about 125 to 175 for a visit though. Any internist or family practice should be able to help you.

[chris_ut]

You can get a high deductible plan thru BCBS for as low as $50 a month and you might want to get one prior to your visit because if it is something serious that requires surgery than this route can save you several thousand dollars for the cost of a few hundred. You can always cancel the insurance if everything turns out fine.

[parisby]

That is expensive. When making an appointment do I need to tell the secretary/person who answers the phone the exact details? because I rather not. Especially if it is a female answering the phone. It's a personal male problem and I would prefer not to tell them much. Can I simply just say I would like to make an appointment with a doctor for checkup w/o specifying a reason? It's bad enough that I have been putting this off for 5 years now because I am just too embarassed to state the details. I would prefer to see the doctor face to face 1-on-1 and explain to him when I get there.

I don't go to the doctors that much and for a long time now. So I am not sure how things are done.

[EM1956]

You can just say that you need a check-up. Yep, doctors are expensive. And that doesn't count lab, x-rays, etc. As the previous poster said, you might look into a high deductible plan, you will still have to pay for the doctor's visits, but if something is seriously wrong, you will want some insurance. Most high deductibles start at around 1000 or 1500 deductible. They generally cover hospitalizations at 80/20. You might even find a plan that covers preventative health care, and if you just go in for a regular male check up that might be covered without the deductible.

[tstone]

1,000 isn't a very high deductible at all. 5,000 is more like it. Sometimes they are only good for 1 or 2 doctor visits as long as you have a policy. Many of those plans are truly worthless.

As far as being on the phone, you're just going to have to tell the person what's wrong with your junk at some point in time. I think it's easier to speak to a faceless person on the phone than it is to disrobe in front of a doctor.

[parisby]

Sigh, i really don't know what to do then. I really hope my condition isn't anything serious. Maybe I am overreacting. But my problem isn't going away and I would really like to see if there is a fix for what I have. I wish there was an online submission where doctors are willing to give a free diagnose from their good hearts for people who have no medical insurance or are too embarass with their problems.

[tstone]

Uh-huh, goodness of their hearts. Yeah right!!

However there are forums out there with doctors (supposedly) if you look hard enough.

[mirjaja]

As a cash patient, you will pay through the nose.

Like a previous poster recommended, it is far better for you to purchase a high deductable plan (like a 5K deductable) and have an 80/20 policy than to be going in cold to the doctors office.

Insurance companies contract with physicians offices, so even with a high deductable plan, you will be billed for the office visit at the contracted rate. So, where a cash patient might be billed $250 for the initial exam and $140 for blood work, you would be billed $56 for the office visit and $8 for blood work -- all of which would be applied to your deductable. And, heaven forbid, you ever had an accident - then you know that you'd be covered.

If you can't swing the money for an insurance plan - and you really should - especially if you are over 25 or 30 years of age, then you should call around and find one of the walk in clinics that cater to illegals. They usually offer discounted cash rates.

Lastly, no doctor can give you a diagnosis without performing an exam. That is opening themselves up to a legal nightmare. If you are computer savy enough to post on here - then you should just google your list of symptons and see what pops up to give you an idea of severity.

The way you're being evasive about the condition leads me to think that you have somethink like erectile dysfunction or something similar - and you are too embarassed to talk about it, but it is never a good idea to wait for years to see if health issues go away on their own. They usually only get worse.

[XodoX]

Originally Posted by parisby

Sigh, i really don't know what to do then. I really hope my condition isn't anything serious. Maybe I am overreacting. But my problem isn't going away and I would really like to see if there is a fix for what I have. I wish there was an online submission where doctors are willing to give a free diagnose from their good hearts for people who have no medical insurance or are too embarass with their problems.

I know it is easy to say if you do not have to go yourself - but do not be afraid or embarrassed. I've had also some of those doctor visits ( not the same problem as you, though).
But they are doctors and they have seen it all before. Also, the nurse or the assistants on the phone are trained. You can not afford to putt it off because it is your health.

I agree with the previous posters as well. I had to pay cash once! The X-ray and doctor visits were a few thousand dollars. The surgery itself was 20k. I just had a pinched nerv in my ellbow that had to be moved.
I found the doctors on the internet - www.yellowpages.com You can narrow it down to your area/zip code. Was quite helpful actually.