What to Know About Getting Care at a Community Health Center in Marion County
You don't have to be uninsured to use Indianapolis's community health centers. HealthNet and Eskenazi Health run clinics across Marion County with sliding-scale fees, same-week appointments, and se…
You don’t have to be uninsured to use Indianapolis’s community health centers. HealthNet and Eskenazi Health run clinics across Marion County with sliding-scale fees, same-week appointments, and services that go well beyond a standard checkup. Here’s how they work.
Editor’s note: Addresses, hours, current wait times, and site-specific fee schedule figures require confirmation by direct reporting before publication. Reporting tasks are noted inline and compiled at the end of this piece.
The shortest answer to “What’s the cheapest way to see a doctor in Indianapolis if I don’t have insurance?” is simple: call HealthNet at 317-635-3000 or go to healthnetindy.org, find the clinic nearest to you, and ask about same-week availability. Your fee will be calculated on a sliding scale based on your household income. Below 100% of the federal poverty level, that fee can drop as low as $20 per visit — or nothing.
Most Indianapolis residents either don’t know these clinics exist, assume they’re only for people with no insurance at all, or aren’t sure what to bring to a first appointment. The fuller explanation matters — and it’s not complicated once someone lays it out.
Do I Have to Be Uninsured to Use a Community Health Center?
No. This is the misconception that keeps the most people away.
Community health centers in Marion County accept Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. If you have coverage, it gets billed like any other primary care visit. The sliding-scale fee structure is a separate, parallel track for patients who are uninsured or whose income puts them below certain thresholds — regardless of whether they carry a card.
The qualifying factor is income, not insurance status. A patient with private insurance but a low household income may still qualify for reduced fees on services their plan doesn’t fully cover. The scale runs both directions: uninsured patients with higher incomes pay more than those who earn less. Anyone who lives or works in Marion County can walk in. No referral, no enrollment process before a first visit.
A large portion of people who would benefit from these clinics rule themselves out on a false assumption. Community health centers are not a last resort for people with nothing. They are, by federal law, open to everyone. The sliding scale exists precisely so that cost is never the reason someone skips care.
What Is a Federally Qualified Health Center, and How Do HealthNet and Eskenazi Fit In?
A Federally Qualified Health Center is a designation granted by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration to clinics that receive funding under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act. To keep that designation, an FQHC must serve all patients regardless of ability to pay, offer a sliding-fee discount schedule tied to federal poverty guidelines, run under a patient-majority board of directors, and operate in medically underserved areas.
HealthNet is the primary 330-funded FQHC in Marion County. It runs multiple neighborhood clinics across Indianapolis and is listed in the HRSA Health Center Finder. Its sliding-scale obligation is a condition of federal funding — not a voluntary policy, not something that disappears in a tight budget year.
Eskenazi Health Centers are the neighborhood clinic arm of Eskenazi Health, which runs the county’s public hospital system — previously known as Wishard, if you’ve lived here long enough. Eskenazi’s clinics operate under a comparable access model, though the precise federal designation may differ from HealthNet’s. Both systems share the practical commitment: no patient turned away for inability to pay, fees adjusted by income.
Worth being clear about what these systems are not: IU Health and Franciscan Health are large regional systems with clinics throughout the metro, but neither holds the FQHC designation. Neither is bound by the same sliding-scale mandate. Both have charity care programs, but those programs differ from the FQHC model and aren’t equivalent in terms of guaranteed access. That distinction matters if you’re trying to plan around cost.
[Reporting task: Confirm Eskenazi neighborhood clinic federal designation — FQHC, FQHC Look-Alike, or other — through eskenazihealth.edu or direct inquiry to Eskenazi communications.]
How Is My Fee Calculated? A Plain-Language Guide to the Sliding Scale
The calculation starts with one number: gross household income. Not take-home pay after taxes. Not your individual income if you share a household. Gross income for everyone living under your roof who contributes financially.
That figure gets compared against the federal poverty level for your household size, published annually by HHS. The 2025 figures:
| Household Size | 100% FPL | 200% FPL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $15,650 | $31,300 |
| 2 people | $21,150 | $42,300 |
| 4 people | $32,150 | $64,300 |
[Reporting task: Confirm exact 2025 HHS FPL figures at aspe.hhs.gov before publication — figures above are approximate.]
Federal rules require FQHCs to discount fees for all patients at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Below 100% FPL, patients qualify for nominal fees — the lowest tier, which at many FQHCs runs around $20 per visit or less, depending on the service. Between 100% and 200% FPL, fees graduate upward with income. Above 200% FPL, you may still receive care, but at something closer to the full rate.
Each FQHC publishes its own fee schedule. HealthNet’s specific dollar amounts by income tier should be confirmed directly through their communications team or their HRSA Health Center Profile — those figures are more granular than the federal rule specifies and get updated annually.
One benefit most patients don’t know to ask about: FQHCs can purchase medications at sharply reduced costs through the federal 340B drug pricing program and pass those savings to patients. If HealthNet or Eskenazi has an on-site pharmacy operating under 340B, prescriptions filled there can cost dramatically less than at a retail pharmacy. Ask specifically whether the site you’re visiting has a 340B pharmacy. It takes thirty seconds on the phone and can save real money.
[Reporting task: Confirm which HealthNet sites have 340B pharmacy access and whether Eskenazi neighborhood clinics participate.]
What Do I Need to Bring to My First Appointment?
The documentation requirements are designed to be workable, with accommodations for people who don’t have standard paperwork.
For income verification, bring recent pay stubs (typically a few weeks’ worth), your most recent federal tax return, or a Social Security award letter, unemployment documentation, or other benefit statement if that’s your income. No documentation? You can complete a self-attestation form — a written statement of your income. FQHCs must accept self-attestation when documentation doesn’t exist. You will not be turned away because you can’t produce a pay stub.
Bring a photo ID if you have one, your insurance card if you have coverage, and any medications you’re currently taking or a list of them.
The question that matters most for a significant share of Marion County’s population: Do I need immigration documentation to be seen? No. FQHCs are federally prohibited from denying care based on immigration or documentation status. HealthNet and Eskenazi both operate under that mandate. No Social Security number, no green card, no immigration paperwork required. This is directly relevant for communities on the Southside — particularly Perry Township — and on the Near Westside in Haughville, where Marion County has large concentrations of immigrant residents. Staff aren’t authorized to ask about immigration status in the context of your care.
Spanish-language access is available at HealthNet sites serving the Near Westside corridor. If you need language assistance in any language, mention it when you call to schedule.
Which Location Is Closest to Me, and Can I Get an Appointment This Week?
HealthNet runs multiple clinic sites across Marion County. The Near Eastside and Brightwood corridor has historically been among the busiest, given the concentration of uninsured and Medicaid-enrolled residents. The Haughville and Near Westside location serves a large Latino population and includes staff with Spanish-language capacity. If OB or prenatal care is what you need, ask specifically whether it’s available at the closest location — HealthNet offers prenatal services, but not at every site.
Southside clinics cover a geographically large, demographically mixed part of Marion County, including neighborhoods with substantial immigrant populations. Same-week availability can shift with season and demand. HealthNet has also expanded into the northeast part of the county and the Lawrence area.
Eskenazi’s neighborhood clinics cover different quadrants of the city. Named sites include Pecar Health Center in Northeast Marion County, Grassy Creek Health Center on the Southeast side, Blackburn Health Center on the Westside, and Forest Manor Health Center, among others. Each covers a distinct geography. The practical advantage of Eskenazi’s network is the hospital system behind it — referrals and specialist access tend to be more straightforward for patients with complex needs than navigating those connections from scratch. That’s not a brochure talking point; it’s the actual structural difference. For a fuller picture of how Eskenazi Health serves Indianapolis patients who cannot afford care elsewhere, including how its public hospital and neighborhood clinic arms coordinate, the details matter. Eskenazi’s Midtown campus anchors the system along Indiana Avenue.
[Reporting task: Before publication, call HealthNet at 317-635-3000 and Eskenazi scheduling directly to obtain confirmed street addresses and current hours for each site, actual new-patient wait times, and which specific services are available at each location versus which require a different site. Record the names of staff who provided information and the date of the call.]
HealthNet expanded telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether virtual appointments are available for new patients now, and for which types of visits, needs direct confirmation. If you’re scheduling something that doesn’t require an in-person exam, it’s worth asking — at a lot of clinics right now, telehealth gets you seen faster.
[Reporting task: Confirm HealthNet telehealth availability for new patients and which appointment types are eligible.]
Can I Get Dental, Mental Health, or OB Care at the Same Place?
This is the question families most often don’t think to ask until they need the answer.
FQHCs must offer primary care, but most go considerably further. Not every service is available at every site. Call ahead. Don’t assume.
HealthNet provides dental care at select locations. This matters more than it might sound — dental care is among the most cost-prohibitive health services for uninsured and low-income patients, and commercial dental practices almost never offer sliding-scale fees. If you’ve been putting off a cleaning or a filling, this is worth a phone call, and it fits into the broader picture of affordable dental care options for Indianapolis residents without insurance. Ask specifically whether the nearest HealthNet site has dental capacity on-site, or whether you’d need to go to a different HealthNet location for it.
Mental health services, including individual counseling and psychiatric care, are available through HealthNet. Integrated behavioral health — a counselor or behavioral health specialist located in the same clinic as your primary care provider — is one of the genuine advantages of the FQHC model. If you’ve tried to find a standalone mental health provider in Indianapolis lately, you know that wait times can stretch for months. Getting a warm handoff to a behavioral health specialist during a primary care visit, which is a key feature of our health & wellness coverage of access-focused care in Marion County, is a different experience entirely.
HealthNet offers obstetric and prenatal care at select sites. This is a high-stakes service line for uninsured and underinsured patients. Gaps in prenatal access drive measurable disparities in infant and maternal health in Marion County, and those disparities show up in the data year after year. If you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant and don’t have a provider, this is the first call to make. Confirm prenatal availability before assuming the nearest location offers it.
HealthNet sites also coordinate with WIC. If you’re eligible for WIC benefits, staff can help connect you during your visit. HealthNet provides HIV and STI testing, treatment, and care coordination. Pharmacy services are available at select sites, potentially under 340B pricing — ask when you call.
Eskenazi neighborhood clinics offer a comparable range of services, with the added infrastructure of the county hospital system behind them. Eskenazi has a formal relationship with the IU School of Dentistry, which runs a sliding-scale clinic — a separate option worth knowing about if HealthNet’s dental capacity has a wait. Behavioral health access varies by Eskenazi site; ask directly. For patients who need specialist referrals, imaging, or hospital-based care, Eskenazi’s neighborhood clinics connect into that system in ways that can simplify an otherwise complicated process.
Language access in Spanish is available at HealthNet’s Near Westside sites. Both systems must provide interpretation services under federal civil rights law — ask when you call if you need assistance in another language.
Direct Contact, What to Ask When You Call, and Where to Confirm
HealthNet
- Phone: 317-635-3000 (verify before publication)
- Website: healthnetindy.org
- HRSA Health Center Finder: findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov
Eskenazi Health Centers
- Website: eskenazihealth.edu
- Scheduling: findable through eskenazihealth.edu or the main Eskenazi Health number (confirm before publication)
When you call, be specific. Scheduling staff at busy clinics give faster, more useful answers when you ask direct questions.
Ask for the actual new-patient wait time at the specific location you’re considering — not whether they’re taking new patients, but how long. Ask whether the services you need (dental, prenatal, behavioral health, pharmacy) are available at that location or at a different one. Ask what you need to bring to document your income, which will surface the self-attestation option if you don’t have pay stubs. Ask whether telehealth is available for new patients. Ask whether the pharmacy participates in 340B.
The HRSA Health Center Finder at findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov is useful for identifying locations, but it’s not always current on hours, site-specific services, or wait times. Use it to find the clinic. Use the phone call to find out whether you can actually get seen this week.
Reporting tasks outstanding before publication: Confirm all HealthNet site addresses, hours, and site-specific services via healthnetindy.org and direct call to scheduling. Confirm Eskenazi neighborhood clinic addresses, hours, and federal designation via eskenazihealth.edu and direct inquiry. Obtain HealthNet’s current published sliding-fee schedule with dollar amounts by income tier. Report new-patient wait times at each site by direct call. Confirm HealthNet telehealth availability for new patients. Verify 2025 Federal Poverty Level figures at aspe.hhs.gov. Pull HealthNet HRSA Health Center Profile at findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov. Confirm 340B pharmacy participation at HealthNet and Eskenazi sites.
