I need a skilled NYC GP who takes cash.

December 18, 2004 6:13 AM

New York City Doctors: I'm looking for a general practitioner who doesn't require insurance and instead takes cash and who is good at what they do? Anyone have any recommendations? My girlfriend has had a nasty cold for two weeks and she needs someone to help get rid of it.
posted by Stynxno to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)

doctors cannot help you get rid of colds. you're better off going to a chinese herbalist, at least they'll try.
doctor will say: drink fluids, get rest.
posted by alkupe at 6:33 AM on December 18, 2004

I don't know any in Manhattan, or even all of proper NYC who does that, but I would suggest you ask the GPs in your area if they will take cash.
posted by riffola at 6:37 AM on December 18, 2004

Response by poster: also, note that i'm saying cold because it resembles a cold but it could be something else. she could have pneumonia of the lung or something.
posted by Stynxno at 6:37 AM on December 18, 2004

i had what i thought was a really bad two week long cold. i went to the health services at my university and they told me buy some cought syrup. each day i got worse instead of better and finally i couldnt take it anymore and went to the ER. i had pneumonia and actually got the treatment i needed.

i dont have any advise about a doctor in NYC. the typical trip to the ER will run you about $600-800. that is what i am charged at a charity hospital in a mid-sized city. the nationally recognized hospital in my city costs about $1200 for a short walk in trip to the ER. you can try to find a cheap clinic. i havent had good experience with free-clinics but that would be worth a shot if you can get an appointment, not walk in and wait all day to be seen.
posted by Recockulous at 6:43 AM on December 18, 2004

Are there really doctors out there that only take insurance? I figured if you have the cash to pay, they would be willing to take it.
posted by reverendX at 7:34 AM on December 18, 2004

There are some that will take credit cards, or set up a payment plan. If you just need to go once, they'll probably take cash, too. Go to DOCS or something. They'll see her. Or, you could always go to the emergency room.
posted by amberglow at 9:06 AM on December 18, 2004

Try the NYC Free Clinic or Stuyvesant Polyclinic
posted by Jim Beecher at 10:59 AM on December 18, 2004

don't some hospitals charge on a sliding scale depending on income if you don't have insurance?
posted by fishfucker at 12:48 PM on December 18, 2004

For what it's worth, I'm a doctor in Manhattan, and I just got over a nasty 2-week cold. It's going around.

I used aspirin and yellow triaminic, but mostly I just had to sleep a lot.
posted by ikkyu2 at 2:16 PM on December 18, 2004

Part of emergency room costs are that you basically get charged what they'd charge an insurance company.

The insurance company, however, hires people full-time to debate charges with hospitals and bring them down. So while you think the insurance paid $1000 out of a $1200 bill, say, and you paid $200, they often paid more like $200 as well.

It's often worth it to go to the ER and bargain the prices down. Will it take you all day? Yep. Still worth it? Unless you've got an awesome job, yep - and since you don't have insurance I'm assuming not.
posted by u.n. owen at 12:18 AM on December 19, 2004