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Does anyone know about California health insurance?

I have severe episodes of tonsillitis about 5-8 times a year (lasts 2wks - 1mo, fever hangs around 102F-104F, pain relief in bones and muscles is impossible with over-the-counter pills) and I have small bouts in between those. I'm no longer going to college because it can get really difficult to attend and keep up with classes. I have no health insurance and my mom only has enough money for bills, my dad is homeless and stays with whoever is charitable enough to house him for the night or so. I'm 20 years old and I hear you have to be disabled or 19 and under with low income parents to receive cheap or free health insurance. I need a tonsillectomy so I can stop being sick constantly. I'm trying desperately to find a job and am keeping it hidden that I'm chronically ill so they'll hire me, but still no luck for the past summer. Is there any type of health insurance I would be eligible for to pay for my ~$2,000 surgery?

Public Comments

1. California has a county health system that provides medical care based on your ability to pay, so look in the phone book for county health services in your local area. Good Luck
2. Well, that's not necessarily true - each state sets it's own requirements for Medicaid, welfare health insurance. You'd go to the CA Medicaid website, and double check that for yourself. What you probably want to do, is contact both your local health department to see if you can get access to a free clinic, and talk to your doctor, to see how low they can go with that pricing, and to see if there are any additional charities with that hospital to help pay the bill. Additionally, for a one time medical issue, you can ask Catholic Charities to help you - you don't have to be Catholic.
3. Most colleges in California offer some type of health insurance to their students. If you can get back into college (even if you cannot attend classes), that might be an option. However, there is another consideration that you seem to be missing. Most insurance only pays for surgery for medical problems that do not exist until after you get insurance. It does not pay for surgery for medical problems that existed before you got insurance. Even if you get insurance now, you will have to pay for this surgery yourself, without using the insurance, because the insurance will not pay for it, because you already needed it before you got insurance. The one possible solution I can see would be convincing the government that you are "disabled", so that you can get free "insurance" (medi-cal), which will pay for the surgery. If you cannot get the government to decide that you are disabled, then you cannot get any insurance to pay for the surgery, so borrow the $2000 from someone and pay for the surgery without using insurance.
4. I dont know if you are too old but you could have your tonsils removed. You should first be going to any city or community health clinic you can get to and see a doctor and get stabilized with medication. You can fill prescriptions for generic meds cheap at Walmart. Then you proceed from there if you need further medical treatment. They charge based on income. They often help people get onto Medi-Cal and since you are under 21, if you can prove you are not being supported by someone else, you have a good chance. You could join Kaiser Permanente instead of buying a health insurance policy. Kaiser is different from an HMO because it has its own hospitals and medical offices.