Entering Health Services
If you have not yet entered care, consider contacting the following agencies who contract with Maricopa Integrated Health System:
They will help you figure out how to get coverage and then enter treatment.
Try not to guess about things like getting health insurance. Talk to professionals who know what they’re doing. Don’t wait to contact healthcare providers just because you don’t think you’ll be able to get helped.
Medicaid is state-funded health insurance for individuals who cannot afford private insurance. Here is the application for Medicaid, known locally as Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). You can find out more about applying for AHCCCS by visiting this web site or by contacting Care Directions or McDowell Healthcare Center.
If you are denied coverage through AHCCCS, save your denial letter! You will need it for coverage under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. Ryan White is the “payer of last resort,” which means that it may cover you if you do not qualify for Medicaid/AHCCCS and if your income isn’t high enough for you to afford private health insurance. Fill out this New Patient Form Application and make sure to attach:
- Documentation of your HIV status,
- Proof of income and Arizona residency,
- And your AHCCCS denial letter.
Here is a more in depth description of the Ryan White application process. Again, the best first step to entering HIV services in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area is to contact Care Directions or McDowell Healthcare Center.
Here are a number of local healthcare resources. For other options, ask your case manager!
Last updated on July 11, 2008