Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get to the clinic?
Can you bill health insurance?
Can you bill Public Aid?
Are you a free clinic?
Do you have sliding scale fees?
Do you do STD screening?
What kinds of birth control do you offer?
Do you offer emergency contraception?
Do you have evening or weekend appointments?
Do you do abortions?
Can I have my baby through the health center?
Can I walk in or be squeezed in for an appointment?
Can I get therapy at CWHC?
How do I get to the clinic?
View the directions to get to the CWHC.
Can you bill health insurance?
Yes, CWHC does bill insurance for our gynecological, social work and alternative insemination services.
- We can bill private insurance which is insurance that allows the insured to see any healthcare provider.
- There are groups of healthcare providers known as "networks" in insurance lingo. When you have a PPO network plan you may see the healthcare providers of your choice. However, the out-of-network healthcare provider is often paid less than an in-network healthcare provider. CWHC belongs to many major PPO networks and can bill any PPO. To check if CWHC is part of your PPO network call the customer service number on the back your insurance card for the most current listing. If you are insured through your employer, you can also get this information from your human resources person.
- An HMO network plan only pays health care providers who are in their HMO networks. CWHC does not belong to any HMO networks and cannot bill HMO insurance.
- Keep in mind that insurance coverage varies greatly and billing the insurance company does not guarantee it will pay for all services. So it's a good idea to get to know your health insurance policy.
- Bring your current insurance card and co-pay (if applicable) to your visit if you would like us to bill your insurance for you.
- For our counseling services, we do not accept Medicaid or Medicare of any kind; however, we do accept some private insurance.
Can you bill Public Aid?
Yes, we do bill Medicaid for most gynecological services. We can also bill Medicaid TPL (Third Party Liability) but we need you to bring both your primary insurance card and Medicaid card to your visit. However, we cannot bill HMO Medicaid. We also cannot bill Medicaid for emergency contraception or HIV testing. We cannot bill Medicare or someone who has both Medicaid and Medicare. If you see "QMB/Medicaid Part AB" on your Medicaid card, that indicates that you have both Medicaid and Medicare.
Are you a free clinic?
No. Chicago Women's Health Center is not a free clinic and is not a government funded clinic. We do provide sliding scale fees for people who are uninsured. Read below for more information about our sliding scale fees.
Do you have sliding scale fees?
Our mission is to provide health care, health education, and mental health services that are affordable for all. Chicago Women's Health Center is a nonprofit health collective that is funded in large part by client's fees for service and volunteer time. We meet about 10% of our annual budget with unpaid volunteer time. For people that are uninsured or underinsured, CWHC offers flexible reduced rates that are subsidized by the volunteer time that all staff members contribute.
GYNECOLOGY PROGRAM
In the gynecology program, all self-pay office visits are on a sliding scale. While this fee may slide down as far as zero, we ask that our clients pay as much toward the full suggested fee as they can afford in order to help us meet our costs.
Besides the office visit fee, many visits include lab fees. Because these are non-negotiable costs for us, we ask that, at a minimum, our clients pay for all lab fees.
For clients who cannot meet the minimum fee at the time of the visit, or who would like to pay more towards the suggested fee than they can afford to at the visit, we have a Client Payment Agreement (CPA) form. Health workers will help clients who fall into this category fill out the form. Clients use the form to determine what amount they can pay and at what intervals (weekly, monthly, one payment at a later date, etc.) in order to reach their goal amount.
COUNSELING PROGRAM
The counseling program offers a sliding scale based on income and family size for counseling services. The current fee scale ranges from $25-$90 a session. There is a flat fee of $35 for the intake to get started. Pregnancy options counseling is $25 per session.
CWHC is flexible with client fees and is committed to providing affordable health care for all. We appreciate the assistance that our clients give us in order to help us meet this goal.
Do you do STD screening?
Yes, Chicago Women's Health Center provides complete screening for sexually transmitted diseases/infections.
What kinds of birth control do you offer?
Chicago Women's Health Center offers comprehensive birth control counseling. In addition, we can provide the following birth control methods: cervical cap, condoms (male and female), diaphragm, oral contraceptive pills, the Nuva Ring, the patch, and spermicidal gel.We offer referrals for the IUD and depo provera.
Do you offer emergency contraception?
Yes, please call as soon as possible for an appointment. Emergency contraception must be administered within 72 hours after the incident of unprotected intercourse.
Do you have evening or weekend appointments?
Yes, and all visits are offered by appointment only. We are not open every week night or every Saturday. Generally, appointments for our Gynecology program are offered on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. Occasionally, Saturday afternoon appointments or appointments on other evenings are offered. Please call to see what appointment slots we currently have available.
Do you do abortions?
Chicago Women's Health Center is a pro-choice organization. We do not provide abortions at the health center but we provide referrals as requested. We offer pregnancy options counseling for our clients with referrals and complete information about abortion, adoption, and prenatal referrals.
Can I have my baby through the health center?
Chicago Women's Health Center does not provide prenatal care. We do offer Childbirth Education Classes. We did have a prenatal program from 1982-2002 but not longer provide this service. We offer referrals for prenatal care. Please call for more information about these referrals.
Can I walk in or be squeezed in for an appointment?
Chicago Women's Health Center is not a walk-in clinic. We do require that our clients set an appointment with us. We will see clients on a squeeze in basis only for the following concerns: urinary tract infection, emergency contraception. Any client who chooses a squeeze in appointment should call first and must arrive at the health center at the beginning of a scheduled clinic (typically 9am, 1pm and 6pm). All squeeze in clients will wait in our waiting room until a health worker can see them. Please contact our gynecology department before you come in to the clinic for a squeeze in appointment. No walk in or squeeze in appointments are available in our counseling program. A scheduled in-take appointment is required to begin counseling services.
Can I get therapy at CWHC?
Chicago Women's Health Center does provide counseling services. Read
more information about the counseling services we provide.
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