How to get free or cheap medical services

HOUSTON – All this week, as we Wake Up 2 Savings on Healthcare, we have highlighted ways you can save on medical costs.

People need blood tests to check for everything from organ function to blood sugar levels to infections. Even with insurance, your co-pay can be up to a hundred dollars, especially if the test is not something your insurance plan covers.

At Link2Labs, you can pay as little as $3. Link2Labs is a direct to consumer lab. You log on, order the blood work your doctor says you need and pay online. 

You print the forms to take to the Quest Diagnostics Lab most convenient to you. They draw the blood. Within 2 to 5 days, your results will be available at the Link2Labs portal. They will also fax the results to your provider, if needed. 

Now, here's the best part. A Hemoglobin A1C test that costs one Channel 2 viewer $100 every few months is just $5 on Link2Labs. That's a 95 percent discount.

Link2Labs can help uninsured hepatitis C patients get free medication if they do some pretreatment labs. Tests that normally cost about $2,000 are just $64 on Link2Labs. 

Thursday, you can get a free heart screening at your local CVS. There is no appointment necessary to get your numbers for cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and your body mass index.

You don't need an appointment, but you do need to download a voucher on the CVS website to take with you.

HEB has free blood pressure and blood glucose screening every second Saturday. A quarterly diabetes screening is $19.99 and a cholesterol screening is $29.99. 

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month. That's why every Saturday in April, University Oaks Dental on San Felipe will be offering free oral cancer screenings to the public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Click2Houston has a list of all of the clinics in our area that do low-cost dental work year round. 


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Passionate consumer advocate, mom of 3, addicted to coffee, hairspray and pastries.