Ask HN: Is there any way a non-American citizen can get antibiotics in NYC?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6038680

by ivp • 13 years ago

4 5 13 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Hi folks,

Currently I am in NYC (Manhattan) and I happen to feel quite sick and knowing myself it will probably get worse and the only way it will go away is to take antibiotics. However, I am not an American citizen (I am from Eastern Europe) and hence I don't know how the health system works here. Could someone tell me if there's any way I could get a prescription from a doctor so I can buy antibiotics?

Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you in advance!

carbocation• 13 years ago

Where you should go depends on severity of disease. If you are seriously ill, you should go to an emergency department at a hospital. (If you had a primary doctor in the US, they might be able to admit you directly without going through the ED if you were very ill.) If you are ill and need to be seen soon, urgent care centers exist and they should be able to see you quickly. If you are well enough to wait for a few days-to-weeks, then you can schedule an appointment with a doctor.

How it is paid for depends on insurance status. I don't know whether your home country has national insurance, how that works once you're in the US, or whether you personally have private insurance. If you are not insured in any way, then you could be liable for expenses.

Finally, it seems unlikely that a doctor would write you for antibiotics without seeing you first, but who knows.

patio11• 13 years ago

Yes, this is pretty routine here. Go to a doctor's office which accepts walk-ins (most of them do -- in a pinch, every hospital will let you wait briefly for the emergency room, or you can Google for "acute care center" or "urgent care center"). They'll ask for your insurance information. Tell them that you have none and will be self-paying. You'll fill out a brief form, be seen by the doctor, likely get a prescription written, and get presented with a bill. It will likely be somewhat larger than what you're used to paying to see the doctor. You can take the prescription to any pharmacy, and pay there for the antibiotics. They will likely be more expensive than you are used to.

American doctors, by law and near universal custom, treat patients without regards to citizenship.

rdouble• 13 years ago

Duane Reade walk in is likely your best bet. It will probably cost $200, though.

http://www.drwalkin.com/

If you're living in NYC for a while, I suggest a membership with One Medical Group.

uberuberuber• 13 years ago

Having to negotiate some paperwork is a small price to pay for not dying of an infection. The ER is required by law to provide you with care, regardless of your ability to pay, or immigration status. They do not 'turn in' or 'report' people without ID/passport/green-card/etc. Depending on the nature of your illness, just taking an oral antibiotic is unlikely to be curative.

If you really want to just take an antibiotic, you could just rush order from here with no prescription needed. Fish antibiotics are the same as humans...just less quality control. http://www.fishmoxfishflex.com/index.php/fish-antibiotics.ht...

Amazon must have cracked down on their sale because they aren't available judging from the search results.

ivp• 13 years ago

Thanks a lot guys! Went to Duane Reade and got what I needed.

Ask HN: Is there any way a non-American citizen can get antibiotics in NYC?

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