Healthcare before Medicare in Birmingham

Start with the care you need

SakeOf is a healthcare membership designed to make care easier to plan and medical bills easier to work through. Start with the kind of care you need—advice for a new concern, ongoing primary care, a prescription, counseling, or an in-person visit—then consider which membership features fit. When you need an in-person provider, you can search for options rather than starting with a network list.

The calculator and Savings Guide can help you explore membership options. Jordan can help you understand how an active feature applies to a care need and what next step to take. Features have their own terms, limits, and member responsibilities, so the useful question is not only what you need, but which selected features are active for you.

Use everyday-care features that fit

Zero Copay Telemedicine can offer a convenient way to connect with care when the feature is selected and active. Virtual Primary Care is a separate optional feature for primary-care support. Check your membership for access instructions and the services associated with each feature. If you need an in-person evaluation, use provider search to consider local options and contact the provider directly.

Rx and Prescription Benefits is optional. When active, it provides the benefits specified for that feature; check whether the medication and pharmacy arrangement fit its rules. A prescription or related service may have separate costs, so ask about those before proceeding when possible.

Mental Health and Counseling is another optional feature. Its support may include immediate problem assessment, supportive counseling and follow-up, crisis support, and referrals when more care is needed. Psychiatry, inpatient behavioral health, emergency psychiatric care, neuropsychological testing, residential substance-use treatment, and medication costs are not included simply because counseling is active.

Find in-person care around Birmingham

For an exam, specialist, hospital service, lab, imaging, or urgent care, identify the type of location you need and verify details with that location. UAB Medicine’s Birmingham directory includes hospitals, outpatient clinics, and urgent-care sites; services and appointment processes vary by location. UAB Hospital is at 1802 6th Avenue South, Birmingham, and The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital is an outpatient clinic at 2000 6th Avenue South. Confirm the right facility and appointment contact before going.

Cooper Green Mercy Health Services lists primary and specialty clinics, urgent care, pharmacy, and radiology at its Birmingham facility. Its address is 1509 6th Avenue South. Some services have enrollment or financial-assistance eligibility requirements; contact Cooper Green to confirm current access, fees, and availability.

Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH) lists county clinic services such as family planning, child health, immunization, and sexual health. Its health centers are in Birmingham and Midfield, and a service may not be offered at every location. Check the clinic directory and call to confirm the location, appointment requirements, and fees for the service you need.

These are city and county resources, not a guarantee of service availability at every location or within ZIP 35214. For planned care, ask the provider what the visit includes and whether professional, lab, or imaging charges may be billed separately.

Get help understanding a bill

If a bill is confusing or higher than expected, SakeOf Full Service support can help with bill verification, fair-price review, and negotiation support. Gather the itemized bill, any estimate, and details about the service, then ask Jordan or the SakeOf team how to submit them. This gives the team information to review what was billed and discuss possible next steps.

For planned hospital care, ask the facility for an estimate and whether separate professional charges may apply. UAB Medicine provides a price estimator and standard-charge information; posted charges are not necessarily an individual’s final cost. CMS explains how hospital standard charges and shoppable-service information can help consumers compare prices. ^www.cms.gov Use price information as a starting point for questions, not as a guaranteed bill amount.

Understand how larger eligible needs are handled

For a larger eligible medical event, the process includes the applicable member commitment and may include voluntary community funding. Eligibility and the process depend on the program rules and the details of the event; do not assume a service or bill qualifies. SakeOf Full Service can help review bills and pricing as you work through the process.

Keep estimates, itemized bills, and records of conversations with providers. If care is planned, requesting an estimate and asking what charges it includes can help you understand the expected costs before proceeding where timing allows. Ask Jordan how to submit documentation for support.

Match additional features to changing needs

If maternity care is relevant, the optional Maternity Care feature requires a continuous 12-month waiting period to be completed before pregnancy begins. Potentially eligible services include routine prenatal visits, medically necessary prenatal labs, standard diagnostic ultrasounds, pregnancy-related specialist care, delivery-related facility and professional charges, and routine pregnancy-related postpartum care through six weeks. Program rules and limits apply.

Other optional features include dental and vision discounts, chiropractic and acupuncture, physical and occupational therapy, and durable medical equipment. Each applies when selected and active, subject to its rules. For eligible PT/OT visits, the 12-visit annual limit and $780 annual maximum are shared across the enrolled membership. The feature-specific $35 member responsibility replaces the standard $500 event commitment for eligible visits under that feature.

If you are checking Medicaid provider options, Alabama’s Provider Directory supports searches by provider, specialty, county, or city, but not every provider type appears. Confirm participation and appointment availability directly with the provider. ^{www.medicaid.alabamaservices.org}

Choose a practical next step

• Exploring membership? Use the calculator or Savings Guide to compare options and features.
• Need help deciding where to begin? Ask Jordan which active feature or local care option may fit your situation.
• Looking for a clinician? Search providers, then confirm services, appointment availability, and charges directly.
• Have a bill to review? Gather the itemized bill and estimate and ask about Full Service support.
• Planning care at a local facility? Contact UAB Medicine, Cooper Green, or JCDH to verify current services, fees, and appointment requirements.