Help me get a cheap prescription!

April 27, 2009 12:10 PM

I am in a temporary position of having no health insurance. I think I have strep throat for the second time this year. Where is the least expensive place for me to go right now to get diagnosed and prescribed medicine? I'm in Portland, Oregon. Thanks!!
posted by thankyouforyourconsideration to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

There's a pay-as-you-go clinic out towards Beaverton. Let me see if I can find it...ah, here you go:

http://www.cornellurgentcare.com/

I used this place while in a similar situation. It's entirely adequate if you already know what's wrong with you and just need a scrip. They charge $100 for a visit, plus whatever tests they can ding you for while you're there. But they seem to be familiar with dealing with patients who don't want to drop another few hundred bucks on tests that might or might not tell them anything useful. (OTOH, if the medicine doesn't clear things up for you, then I'd suggest going to a regular doctor pronto.)
posted by spacewrench at 12:26 PM on April 27, 2009

You could try a Multnomah County Health Department clinic:

North Portland
Northeast Portland
Downtown

Or search here for some other options. Note-- costs will vary depending not only on the clinic, but also on your economic situation.
posted by dersins at 12:29 PM on April 27, 2009

Best answer: Free clinics:
Outside In - http://www.outsidein.org/ (Downtown Portland)
Free Clinic of SW Washington - http://www.freeclinics.org/ (Vancouver, WA)
SW Community Health Center - http://www.swchc-pdx.org/ (SW Portland)

More can be found here: http://www.coalitionclinics.org/clinics.html

--

I was also going to suggest one of those minute clinic deals, but I can't seem to find any in the area.

Perhaps try a nurse practitioner? http://www.nursepractitionersoforegon.org/npo-patient-npodirectory.cfm
posted by Skwirl at 12:37 PM on April 27, 2009

Best answer: Why don't you try your previous doctor? When I was unemployed and had no insurance I went to see my old doctor for a problem. He charged me $40 and gave me samples of medication he had on hand. Most doctors get plenty of samples from pharm salespeople and will typically give them out to their more needy patients.
posted by JJ86 at 2:13 PM on April 27, 2009

Some Walgreen's have a walk in clinic. There is usually little wait, if any, and the doctor was excellent in my experience. They don't treat major illnesses, but can definitly issue a prescription (to be filled right there, as a plus!) for strep, pink eye, etc. I think the standard walk in rate is like $50, which isn't so bad. Just call ahead or look on their website to find out which store has a clinic near you.
posted by shrimpsmalls at 2:47 PM on April 27, 2009

Best answer: Also, may I recommend Zoom Clinic in NW near the Whole Foods. They are fast, relatively inexpensive (hundred bucks? couple hundred?) and will only take 20 minutes, in and out, including waiting time. It is amazing. You can even set up an appointment online. (I used to live in PDX).
posted by whimsicalnymph at 8:31 PM on April 28, 2009