Free Community Health Care Programs
June 12, 2018 | by the National Care Planning Council
A variety of public and private organizations across the country offer free health care programs, including vision care, dental services, and more.
- Free medical, dental, and health care Numerous community provide the low income and uninsured with free health care and other medical services.
- Free prescription drugs;
- Clinics provide free health care State, county, and local medical clinics and providers will provide free medical care, including dental and mental health.
- Walgreens free medical assistance Walgreens is offering free healthcare to its current and future patients who lose their job and have no health care coverage. The assistance is offered by Walgreen' s Take Care clinics.
- Federal Government Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) This organization makes free or low cost health care available to Americans, even to those without insurance. You can get free checkups, prescriptions, treatment, and other medical assistance.
- Free medical care from charities Many charities can also provide help, such as the Patient Advocate Foundation, Shepherd's Hope, Inc, and many others. Find both national charities, and charities that are located in your state.
- State and federal government medical assistance programs Many states and government agencies also provide free or discounted health care.
- In-store clinics Retailers such as CVS, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart, offer quality health care at a low price. Some even provide free medical services.
- Senior Centers can provide free health care services Senior centers offer a wide variety of services on how the elderly can save money on medical bills, and they can offer free checkups and medical care.
General Relief (GR)
The GR Program is a local program that was created to provide a variety of assistance, either emergency or maintenance, which can' t be provided by any other means. The GR Program is financed through local grants and state funding. Components of the GR Program may include assistance for dental or medical bills, burial expenses, assistance for unattached children and also interim aid.
Health Insurance Counseling (SHIIP)
The Senior Health Insurance Information Program provides insurance information and counseling to older persons with disabilities regarding Medicaid, Medicare, and health care supplements.
Many elderly have difficulty understanding their Medicare coverage and many unscrupulous health care providers may be preying on the system by charging for services not actually provided. The elderly may also have questions about whether to buy Medicare supplement policies or buy into Medicare advantage plans. In the fall of 2005 Medicare introduced Part D, the new drug prescription program. The aging network has been given responsibility by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services to counsel the elderly about this program. The health insurance counseling services, typically coordinated at the state level, are designed to deal with these issues.
Senior Center Health and Wellness Services
A typical community Senior Center provides programs to prevent some key help issues afflicting older individuals. These programs are free to most seniors and include efforts to:
- Prevent and reduce alcohol and substance abuse
- Help with smoking cessation
- Manage the many medications seniors often take
- Guard against dangerous drug interactions and
- Highlight the importance of remaining physically fit as a means of preventing the onset of chronic disease and maintaining good health.
Senior Centers provide help in other ways as well. Most seniors exhaust their own and their families' ability to fund care within one year of residence in a nursing home. The simplest way to reduce this ever-increasing financial burden is to delay, and if possible, prevent, the need for expensive care and the loss of independence. Community Senior Centers offer a variety of health screening programs, health counseling programs, nutrition counseling, community meals, fitness programs, immunizations and a whole bunch more services to keep senior citizens active and healthy and keep them out of nursing homes.
