Call 9-1-1 now if you are having a medical emergency.

Seek or provide immediate First Aid help if you are dealing with a "hurry case" (Stopped breathing, No heartbeat, Severe bleeding, or Internal poisoning).
 

Quick-guide

This quick-guide to healthcare (or health care) in Oakland and Alameda County should help you understand your options when seeking various forms of medical care and medical services. The first question you should answer is whether or not you are currently covered by health insurance (see below if you do not have insurance)

I have Health Insurance

If you have insurance already, you should choose where and how to be treated based on healthcare providers that accept your type of insurance.

If you have a primary care physician, clinic, or office, contact them to obtain information, advice, treatment, or referrals to specialists (for various tests, scans, or treatment with specialized equipment or with expertise in particular systems of the body and health). 

If you are not connected to any one particular doctor or medical facility, contact your health insurance provider in order to find out how to locate doctors and specialists that accept your form of insurance.

Common / Employer-provided / Private Insurance

Typically an HMO or PPO plan. Typically, the main difference between these types of coverage is whether or not you have a primary care physician, and therefore whether you need to consult this physician first before getting a referral to see a specialist. HMO plans usually require selecting a primary care physician, while PPO plans do not require retaining a single physician allow you to see physicians or specialists directly without a referral. 

Obamacare (Public)

Insurance plans provided by the Affordable Care Act.

Medi-Cal (Public)

Insurance plan provided by the State of California, with extended coverage enabled by the Affordable Care Act.

I DO NOT have Health Insurance

If you do not have insurance, you may qualify for insurance coverage, to find out, see the steps below. Otherwise, the following are available options to seek healthcare without insurance at all, especially if you are unable to obtain insurance for whatever reason:

  • (free) ?
  • (inexpensive) Roots Community Health Clinic
  • (subsidized, high-availability) Highland Hospital (Alameda County Public Hospital)
    • Emergency Room - open 24 hours / 7 days per week, best time to be seen quickly is around 5am.
    • Same-day Clinic - call at 6am when they start booking appointments until all are filled for the day, closing at 5pm
      • Phone (510) 437-8500
      • Highland Wellness Same-Day Clinic
        1411 E. 31st Street
        Oakland CA. 94602
  • More options for uninsured patients.

How to get insurance:

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