No health insurance? Free or low-cost checkups & doctors visits

Not all full-time RVers travel with health insurance. Usually the reason is it costs too much. Or they have health insurance for catastrophic illness or accidents and have a large deductible. Some policies do cover a physical exam each year; others do not. Here are a few ideas for saving money.

• Supermarkets: Recently Bashas, an Arizona supermarket, offered numerous blood tests at very reasonable prices. You could get a whole panel of tests for around $70. They offer them once or twice a year throughout the state at many of their stores. You can have the test results sent to a physician as well as to yourself. They will be announced on posters in the location a few weeks before the event and perhaps in the advertising circular in the Sunday newspaper. Supermarkets in other states may do this too.
• Health fairs offer diagnostic tests, like checking cholesterol levels, at reduced prices. (Use these to monitor your health, not in place of a doctor’s visit.) Communities may sponsor these. Announcements may be posted or placed in the local newspaper.
• Planned Parenthood clinics offer lower-cost exams to women. Some states have programs that give free exams and tests to low-income women.
• State programs: Many states have free or low-cost exams for women who either meet certain income guidelines or do not have health insurance.
• Government clinics: Check with state and local clinics or clinics run by nurse practitioners or physician’s assistants. Their fees are often less or may be based on a sliding scale.
• Local, private clinic: In Moab last summer I had a problem and found a clinic, Moab Immediate Care, that specialized in seeing tourists that needed some sort of treatment. I didn't have to go through getting set up or him billing insurance so his rates were lower. Look for similar clinics.
• Drug store clinics: A few drug store chains, such as Rite-Aid, have walk-in clinics.

In addition, there are lots of ways to reduce your costs for prescription drugs. That's for another time. Jaimie Hall-Bruzenak

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Happy New Year! Happiness and success in 2011.