What's the wait time for an MRI (non emergency) for the uninsured in the USA?

[Billy Burnett]

I hear a lot of framing of the health care discussion on talking head cable TV and ads in terms of wait times.

One question I've not heard asked by any bobble heads or their guests ...

In the USA, what are the wait times for the uninsured in non emergency room cases?


on edit: I should mention I'm Canadian and reside in the US most of the year. I've had 2 MRIs in Canada and 1 in the USA.

[Ladyhawk]

1. I had two. The first one took 6 months. The second took a year.

All that time before I could have surgery...

[Sanity Claws]

2. Until death

They don't get the service unless they can come up with the money.

[Oceansaway]

3. for my nephew the wait time was

2hrs 20mins.....hes uninsured and did go to the ER

[Billy Burnett]

4. I was asking about non emergency cases.

Thanks.

[Donnachaidh]

5. As fast as you can provide the cash in some places

Totally dependent on the city you live in, and the amount of folding cash in your pocket.

[Billy Burnett]

12. No cash, no treatment. United we Stand? n/t

[kenny blankenship]

6. One fiscal quarter after time of death.

Quicker, maybe, if your county coroner is really on top of things.

[mwooldri]

7. Same wait time for the insured. No difference.

The problem is the insured generally have the means to pay for the MRI (via the insurance of course), the uninsured don't. So the wait list is pretty much determined by how much is in that wallet and how long it can take to save it up and whether the MRI provider will agree to take payments over time.

Here in GSO you can get MRI pretty quickly, even in non emergency case.

[dysfunctional press]

8. i'm on medicare, and needed an mri...

it was at first declined, but my dr. re-wrote the order so that it was covered. two days after the original order, i was at the hospital, in the mri room...but i couldn't fit in the machine correctly- i needed a brain mri(NOT an emergency), but my cervical spine is fused due to my ankylosing spondylitis, and they just couldn't get me into the 'collar'(my word for it) they needed me in before sliding me into the machine.
the tech suggested an 'upright mri' at a facility about 40 miles away.
i called my dr., they called the upright mri place, and two days later i had the procedure.

[demodonkey]

9. Forever if you can't pay for it. nt

[Carl Skan]

10. There's no actual answer to your question.

That's like asking hog long it takes to get to work in the U.S.

It depends on the specific hospital and your ability to pay for the services you are asking them to provide you. If you can pay cash, at some hospitals there isn't a wait time.

[FreakinDJ]

11. Forever if your insurance company doesn't want to pay for it

Its the Denial Clause

I had a spinal injury the kind that doesn't show up on a normal X-ray. My Health provider simply didn't want to pay for the lengthy on-going care the problem would require - so they simply denied their own doctors request to have a MRI on my spine

Long story short I had to hire an attorney to get the proper care

But it worked like this - Without the MRI I couldn't prove the injury was there and needed treatment. The Health provider was able to claim they didn't know the injury existed and there by were not negligent in my care - the Denial Claus