Free and low-cost medical care

If you have no insurance, or if your insurance isn’t adequate to cover your expenses, some low-cost options can help you. Georgia’s Free Clinic Network provides care at no cost or on a sliding fee scale, based on income and family size. A recent state law giving malpractice immunity to volunteer physicians has helped grow this clinic network in Georgia.

At the same time, the state’s 100-plus free clinics are often inundated with patients, and because they depend on volunteers, their hours can be irregular. Still, the clinics have helped thousands of patients and are worth checking out.

Here’s a guide on their locations in Georgia. Enter your city or ZIP code in the box at the top of the page.

The state also has about 120 community health centers. Many of the centers are in ‘’underserved’’ areas of the state, such as in rural Georgia or in inner-city areas, where there are few primary care physicians. They accept Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance, though about 40 percent of the patients at CHCs nationally have no health insurance.

Georgia’s community health centers offer a comprehensive range of primary health care and other services, including prenatal care, well-child care, physicals, preventive services, nutritional counseling, laboratory, X-ray and pharmacy services. Here’s where you can find one near your home.