Reply #134: There are County hospitals for that purpose.

[Cleita]

They are mostly underfunded and sometimes it takes months to get routine care. If you are picked up by an ambulance and taken to the hospital they have to care for you, but if you don't have some kind of coverage they can legally send bill collectors after you and take your wages and property. In my county the county hospital closed it's doors because they couldn't afford to keep them open so we are at the mercy of the private hospitals who can refuse you if you non-emergency care if you can't pay.

Also, there is a medicaid program if you have no assets to speak of. Otherwise you have to spend down your assets and savings before it kicks in, but Bush has cut funding for this program just recently.