Are Ben Taub Medical Services Free? (Cost Of Gold Card)
Ben Taub medical services are not free. They can be depending on your circumstances, but the general answer is no services are not free at this hospital.
Ben Taub is managed by the Harris Health System. This network bills patients based on “sliding scale fees”. This mean that your medical bills will be based on factors like your household income and family size.
Editor’s Note: The same is true for LBJ Hospital. They are also apart of the Harris Health System and bill for services based on sliding scale fees.
The lower your household income, the less you will pay for medical services. Below is a Harris Health System pay scale that you can use to estimate the cost of services according to your monthly income.
If you make between $0 to $1595 per month below are the potential costs that you would pay at Harris Health clinic.
| Service | Cost |
| Visit to primary care doctor | $3 |
| Lab or x-ray service | $3 |
| Prescription costs (will vary with Medicare coverage) |
|
| Dental visit | $8 |
| Dentures | Price based on payment scale |
| Emergency room visit | $25 |
| Day surgery | $25 |
| Inpatient stay | $50 |
If you make $1596 or more per month these are the prices you will likely pay for Harris Health services.
| Service | Cost |
| Visit to primary care doctor | $95 |
| Lab or x-ray service | $95 |
| Prescription costs (will vary with Medicare coverage) | Must pay full amount before picking up medications. Medicare or private health insurance will impact the cost of prescriptions. |
| Dentures | Operates on payment scale |
| Emergency room visit | $150 |
| Day surgery | $2,500 |
| Inpatient stay | 2,500 |
Conclusion
Harris Health System services whether at Ben Taub Hospital or any of their other outpatient clinics are not necessarily free. Instead they operate based on “sliding scale fees”. This means you are bill according to your monthly income.
Depending on your current income, the resources available to you, and timing of your visit, medical services could become free, but there is no guarantee.
That being said Harris Health System is willing to work with you if you are uninsured and need medical care. If you have no health insurance, one thing that you should do is apply for Gold Card coverage, which is accepted at Harris Health System clinics. This coverage will help you to afford any medical treatments you need in their network.
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Nick Bryant is the author of Understanding Healthcare Is Half The Battle and a Senior Counselor with 13+ years of experience working in community health and mental health. He enjoys spending time with his family, watching WWE on Friday nights, and working toward a Google Data Analytics certification. If you have additional questions about community resources or government assistance programs, simply leave a comment below and he will follow up as soon as possible.
