Low-Cost Health Care in Columbus: PrimaryOne's Sliding Fee, Columbus Public Health Clinics and Free Hospital Care Under HCAP

In Columbus, low-cost care comes from three places: PrimaryOne Health, a federal Health Center Program grantee that grew out of the City of Columbus’s neighborhood health centers, with a sliding fee [2][13]; Columbus Public Health’s own clinics at 240 Parsons Ave. [4][5][6]; and, for hospital bills, Ohio’s Hospital Care Assurance Program (HCAP) and each hospital’s financial assistance [7][8].

This guide covers how to get in and what it costs. It isn’t medical advice.

PrimaryOne Health: sliding-fee doctors, dentists and pharmacies

PrimaryOne Health runs adult medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, behavioral health, dental, vision and pharmacy services, plus STI, HIV and hepatitis C care [1]. It accepts Medicaid, Medicare and most commercial plans [2].

If you’re uninsured, PrimaryOne offers a sliding fee discount based on household income and family size [2]. Bring proof of income for everyone in the household: a month of pay stubs, unemployment or workers’ comp benefits, a Social Security award letter, child support or alimony, or your W-2s, 1099s or tax return [2]. Copays are due when you’re seen [2].

PrimaryOne also runs a 340B prescription cash discount program and can help you apply for health insurance [1].

Columbus Public Health clinics

Columbus Public Health is at 240 Parsons Ave.; main number (614) 645-7417 [6].

Shots

The immunization clinic serves Columbus and Worthington residents [4]:

• Children 18 and under: all required vaccines, and recommended ones if eligible. No child is refused for inability to pay; if you have insurance with a copay, it’s due at the visit [4].
• Uninsured adults 19 and up: routinely recommended adult vaccines, except Shingrix, at no vaccine cost while supplies last, plus a $17 assessment fee per visit. A sliding fee scale is available, and no qualifying adult is turned away for inability to pay [4].
• Insured adults: flu shots only; for other vaccines, the city sends you to your doctor or a pharmacy [4].

It’s walk-in only, and the clinic may stop early when it’s full [4].

Sexual Health and Wellness Center

On the second floor of 240 Parsons Ave., the center offers STI testing and treatment, same-day HIV PrEP, birth control including IUDs, well-woman exams with breast and cervical cancer screening, and walk-in emergency contraception and pregnancy tests [5]. Fees are on a sliding scale by household size and income; bring recent proof of income. No one is refused care for inability to pay, and most insurance is accepted [5]. Teens don’t need a parent’s permission [5]. Appointments are preferred: 614-645-1850, or 614-645-5907 in Spanish [5].

Dental

The city’s Dental Clinic, run by PrimaryOne Health, does exams, x-rays, cleanings, fillings and extractions on a sliding scale by family size and income. You apply with proof of income, identity and address. It takes Medicaid and private insurance [3]. Call 614-645-7487; hours are weekdays 7:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. [3]. Second and sixth graders in Columbus-area schools can get free sealants through the school program, 614-645-6853 [3].

Hospital bills: HCAP and hospital financial assistance

HCAP covers hospital services only for people who [7]:

• live in Ohio,
• have income at or below the federal poverty level, and
• aren’t on Medicaid.

Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. Ohio State’s policy covers HCAP for hospital bills of Ohio residents and its own Financial Assistance Program for hospital and doctor bills. Hospital bills are screened for HCAP first; if you don’t qualify, a third-party credit reporting agency reviews your income, assets and available credit to set the discount [8]. Approvals last six months, or up to 12 months for a 100% discount, and can cover balances that began up to a year before approval [8]. If you don’t qualify, you can set up a payment plan at 614-293-2100 [8]. Start with Financial Counseling, 614-293-0860, or apply under the billing tab in MyChart [10]. Its separate Medication Assistance Program helps patients who can’t afford prescriptions: 614-366-4170 [10].

Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Call (614) 722-2055 about HCAP or (614) 722-2070 for a financial counselor. The hospital says other insurance has to be billed first, and you may be asked to apply to your county Job and Family Services before its own assistance program [7].

Other sliding-fee health centers

To find other federally funded health centers near you, use HRSA’s Find a Health Center tool [11]. Federal rules shape what these centers charge [12]:

• At or below the poverty level: a full discount, though a small nominal fee may be charged.
• Above 200% of poverty: no required discount; between the two, discounts slide with income.
• No one may be denied service because they can’t pay.

Which door to try first

• Need a regular doctor or dentist, uninsured: PrimaryOne Health’s sliding fee [2].
• Shots, birth control or STI testing: Columbus Public Health at 240 Parsons Ave. [4][5].
• A hospital bill you can’t pay: ask the hospital’s financial counselors about HCAP and its own assistance before the bill goes to collections [7][8].