Broken Nose with no Insurance
 

My son broke his nose. It is swollen and the ER Dr. couldn't do anything because there was too much swelling. I know ENT Drs. charge quite a lot. Is there any Dr. or a place he can have this taken care of without being charged so much. Would appreciate any recommendations.

Busted my nose pretty bad three times, once basketball, once football, once lacrosse. Never did anything, it heals.

Hopefully some one will posts can give you an answer but if not perhaps you can work something out with a Dr who will accept a payment plan.

I thought the ACA required everyone to have health insurance.

May not be helpful, but this site is listed on an affordable health care search by zip code site (findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov):

Orlando Family Health Centers | Community Health Centers
They have a location in Leesburg. One of their pages mentioned that they have sliding scale/payment options.

I have not been there.

"Ice pack or cold compress to reduce swelling. Will heal in about three weeks", according to my source. Still a good idea to be checked out by a doctor imho, to be sure there are no other injuries.
Note: I am not a doctor. I was curious about what the treatment might be and looked it up. You can do the same or follow the advice of the Er Dr. Your call.

A deviated septum can be a pain in the patoot with breathing issues and your son should be evaluated. Hopefully, the recommendation for treatment posted earlier with payment arrangements will work out for him.

This is an excellent forum for Medical advice…looking forward to reading the snarky comments! A deviated septum is nothing to sneeze at! ENT is in your Sons future

I think a lot of the ACA was taken out by previous administration lawmakers.

You are correct. As of Jan 1, 2019, there is no Federal requirement for everyone to have health insurance. Prior to that, if you didn't have health insurance, you were subject to a tax penalty. Technically, the ACA law still exists, but, without the tax penalty, the requirement is essentially gone.

I've had 3 broken nose episodes and the last one the ER Dr said "it's not broken" until I looked at the X-ray myself and showed him where the break was. "Oh you're right" was his response. He also didn't tell me it would lead to a deviated septum. D'OH!! My Dr recommendation would be to go to an ENT specialist.

Maybe Lazarus free clinic in Wildwood can help. You could call and ask.

My nose has been broken many times (I've led an adventurous life) and I always just fixed it myself looking in a mirror. As I grew older, this led to breathing problems and I could only sleep in one position without apnea. I finally went to an ENT who said I had the worst deviated septum he'd ever seen. He said it was "S" shaped and blocking both breathing passages. A trip to the outpatient surgery center fixed me up. By then I was in my late 50s and had a good job with good insurance so the cost was insignificant.

Financial assistance for Someone in need to pay bills | Benefits Explorer
A site that has free and low cost services around the US. The United Way also has services. Some mentioned Lazarus in Wildwood, this is one Center. It is in the Spanish church. They do general care, but May know of a free/low cost ENT. You’re probably better off with the United Way or benefits explorer. Good luck

Broken noses add character to boys leave it alone…

I hope you are being facetious.

Health issues bring character? Who knew?

That is standard medical practice. Swelling distorts the natural shape of the nose so you have to wait. It might turn out that bone is in good position and nothibg needs to be done.

Try this:

Equal Access Clinic Network >> College of Medicine >> University of Florida

Broken nose
 

ER docs can't do much bc of the swelling nor could an ENT doc. Once swelling goes down, THEN a plan of care can be made. An ENT evaluation is the best course of action despite the costs bc it may alleviate significant future costs, pain & breathing issues.

Penny wise and pound foolish otherwise.

Sure! Look at all the brachycephalic dogs. People love them, with their flat faces.

Yes, I am being facetious. Breathing issues cam lead to other, far worse problems.

I’m guessing that ENT’s are specialist & that’s why they charge so much.

We volunteer with a local ministry serving the truly poor, homeless, addicted who have NO safety net.
These free and sliding scale clinics being recommended are, and have been swamped with people who truly have no other options.

This request appears to have been made by a Villager. We are NOT the people these clinics were established for. If we can afford to live here we can almost without exception afford a doctor bill for an adult offspring.

It WOULD be appropriate to start calling around and asking doctor offices if they are able to offer discounts for a cash payment with no insurance in this situation.

The American urgent care clinic on 466a has been willing to work with some of our low income guys who are just starting their re entry programs. And they have received great care there, as have myself and my neighbors who have paid for care.

Good luck to you and your son.

Try these sites. Good luck. Nothing worse than worrying about child’s health.
Free Clinics in The Villages, Florida | Benefits Explorer
Or
Catholic charities (you don’t have to be Catholic)
Catholic Charities of Central Florida – Orlando, FL
Or
COVID-19/Coronavirus Assistance Programs | FindHelp.org
Or

https://www.thevillagesregionalhospi...nce-policy.pdf

community health
 

I have used them for 15+ years . just like any other doctor but serves low income patients mostly. If your son is independent from you - his income qualities him for low cost care... They arent surgeons, or orthodedics. Just GP's and gyns and kids ....


Right now they only have an rpn at leesburg , but do have doctors at their other offices.

always got 100% care .....

If you son does not have health insurance through his employer, he should consider the health insurance available throught the Affordable Care Act.

Go to Get 2022 health coverage. Health Insurance Marketplace(R) | HealthCare.gov.

Life can change in an second -- whether it is an accident or illness.

It is great what you do. Sadly any charitable programs find people CHEATING. Sadly those people are STEALING from those in need.

If your son can't afford health insurance due to income, he might qualify for Medicaid. Often Medicaid recipients have better benefits than those who pay for regular insurance. Open enrollment is coming up and if he buys insurance on Healthcare.gov he might qualify for a big subsidy. Coverage would start January 2023. If he lives in a household with others that have a decent income then he probably won't qualify for any assistance since that's how assistance is determined. Good luck!

Ent specialists
 

I went to the villages emergency room with a terrible sore throat and hard time swallowing. Got a cat scan showed I had an abscess of my tonsil. Dr. Said the villages hospital has no ent specialist so called an ambulance to take me to Shands in Gainesville. Timeframe was go to the er at 630 pm left for Gainesville at 2am. Got great care, got there Friday and went home Sunday, lots of antibiotics and steroids.

That's part one. Now, try to find an ENT that accepts Medicaid. Rotsa ruck.

Under the ACA, if you were not able to afford insurance you were fined 700.00 penalty when filing taxes. Never made much sense to me. I was able to get the majority of those I filed for a waiver from the penalty.

Unless you do not have the penny to spend. Not speaking to anyone directly, but it is difficult for many to understand how some have to decide between food, shelter, and medical care/medicine. If you have children it becomes more difficult.

I agree, most of us don't know what that is like, or used to but have forgotten.

However, I do not care for that segment of those in that situation that seem to have money for tattoos, piercings, beer, lottery tickets and the latest cell phone----hard to feel sorry for them.

While the ACA has led to about 13 million more people with Medicaid, many more have been harmed. Middle-income families without employer-provided coverage and small businesses and their workers have largely fared worse from higher health care costs as did the nation’s taxpayers who are responsible for funding all of the law’s new spending. For the average employee, very hi deductibles and co-pay, it is a catastrophic insurance policy only.

IMO All that we face in life builds character. For me this involves everything from being blessed with a beautiful family, to my fighting stage 3 cancer in my 30's. It is evident to others that my health issues has affected who I am.