Your doctor recommends you see a physiotherapist about your clunking hip and the pain shooting down your leg. You would love to take them up on it, really. The only problem is that physiotherapy isn’t cheap, and it’s not covered by your insurance.
When the cost of physiotherapy is out of your budget, do you have to give up on finding pain relief? Not necessarily! You can read through these tips to find ways to afford physiotherapy on a small budget.
Ask a Physiotherapist About Their Billing Practices
A physiotherapist gets into the profession to help people from all walks of life, so there’s a good chance they are sympathetic to people who can’t afford a typical appointment.
Before you book an appointment, call the clinic to discuss your options. Be forthcoming about your financial situation. While you don’t have to share every sordid detail of your budget, you should be frank about how much you can and can’t afford.
While you have them on the phone, ask them about the following options:
- A possible sliding pay scale. Some clinics will reduce their rate for low-income patients.
- Financing plans. You might qualify for a financing plan that breaks up your bill into several smaller bills. These plans might function a lot like personal loans, including rates and fees, except you owe the clinic instead of a lender.
- If your problem is that you can’t pay them right now, but you would have no problem paying them in a month’s time, your physiotherapist may be willing to wait.
Get a Line of Credit
If you’re just shy of what you need, a line of credit may fill in the gap. Like financing plans, they help you pay for something you wouldn’t ordinarily be able to pay upfront. Instead, you can pay back your balance by the end of your billing cycle. You may even pay off what you owe in several chunks if you cover the minimum payment.
Where can you find an account like this? You might find a safety net in a line of credit by going online to a lender like Fora. They offer online lines of credit with simple applications that deposit approved funds directly into your account. It’s a flexible way to draw cash against your limit, and you won’t pay any additional fees.
Visit a Free Clinic or School
A line of credit is best used when you’re just shy of what you need, and you know you can pay off what you take out by the due date. But what if you can’t guarantee that — even if your physio clinic offers a financing plan or sliding pay structure?
Research government-funded physiotherapy clinics to see if you qualify for these programs. You might also get low-cost or free treatment at a college if you are willing to be seen by a student.
Go Online
After an initial assessment from a licensed physiotherapist, you can figure out the root cause of your hip pain. Using this knowledge, go online to watch free YouTube videos that address this issue. To ensure you find a reputable online source, talk to your physio about their favourite videos. They might direct you to a specific channel that you can follow to deal with your problem at home for free.
The Takeaway:
In emergencies, you have options that get you the help you need. Try these tips if you need to see a physiotherapist today. As for tomorrow? Consider building an emergency fund into your budget to help you the next time you need physio.
