Many Americans believe that there is always a safety net—some way to get health care—for those who are uninsured. That is not true, so being uninsured is a medical emergency in itself, and your first priority is to get some kind of coverage as fast as you can. In the meantime, here are some ways to help ease the financial burden if you do get sick:

Don't count on the emergency room

It's true that if you show up at an emergency room with a medical problem that requires urgent attention, the facility is legally required to treat you even if you don't have insurance. But the hospital will send you a bill afterward, probably a very large one, and aggressively try to collect it. An emergency room is also under no obligation to provide nonemergency care. You can't show up and expect to get cancer chemotherapy or a knee replacement.

Visit your community health center

There are more than 7,000 across the country, providing basic outpatient care—including, in some cases, dental and mental-health services—and they charge according to ability to pay. Find the center nearest you.

Take advantage of health fairs

Many community groups periodically put on health fairs that include free screenings for conditions such as hearing loss, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Some also offer free flu shots and vision screenings.

Ask hospitals and doctors to cut your bill

No one pays the sticker price for health care except, ironically, uninsured people who don't have the benefit of the big discounts that public and private insurers negotiate on behalf of their members. Many doctors will grant a similar discount to uninsured people paying bills on their own, especially those paying at the time of treatment, but you have to ask for it. Similarly, if you have a big hospital bill, ask for a discount. If your income is really low, you might qualify for free care. But again, you have to ask.

Look for disease-specific programs

There are dozens of them out there, but you have to know where to look and, in many cases, make sure you follow some very specific rules. The federally funded Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program, for example, will pick up the entire cost of treatment for those diseases for low-income women. But to qualify in many states, you have to have been diagnosed with your condition at one of the program's approved screening centers. If you were diagnosed elsewhere, no free treatment for you, no matter how broke you may be. (Find the screening program nearest you.) One nonprofit Web site lists a number of financial-assistance programs for specific diseases in an easy-to-search format.