Medical care is expensive. Sometimes, even when you have insurance, the medical bills you have to pay can stack up. If you don't have insurance, an injury or illness can exhaust savings quickly. If you become injured or have an illness, there are ways you can learn how to find medical bill payment assistance so you get the medical attention you need.

• Some assistance programs help pay your medical bills.

• Some assistance programs will only pay for future medical care.

• Bill consolidation loans can help pay for medical bills by consolidating into one payment and taking longer to pay.

• Medicaid can back pay medical bills for up to 90 days from the date of application.

With the cost of medical care and medication on the rise, it's nearly impossible to cover all your medical expenses if you don't have insurance and something happens to you or you become ill. It's a tough place to be. Don't despair, though, because there are medical payment assistance programs available to those who qualify. Let's look at a few of them.

This video, created by the Brain and Spinal Injury organization, discusses the difference between Medicaid and Medicare, and it also talks about what Medicaid is, and how it might benefit the receiver.

In this video, you'll also get a brief explanation of how to apply for Medicaid and disability together, and when applying for disability alone is an option. It also discusses medical expenses and where and how to get assistance for medical expenses.

If you need to know how to find medical bill payment assistance, this video offers two options to consider.

A little known fact is that county or state-funded hospitals are not allowed to turn you away due to your inability to pay when you are in need of life-saving or even life-threatening medical illness or injury. Because of this, if you have outstanding medical bills, you don't have to worry about not being able to receive life-saving treatment. All you have to do is know where your local county-funded hospital is, and head there during an emergency.

But the county funding also can help pay any outstanding medical bills incurred at the hospital or any of the hospital related clinics or diagnostic and testing centers. These programs work similarly to a county-funded insurance program and can help cover your medication and your treatment.

Check with your local hospital's social services department and ask them for a referral to the county hospital district's assistance program. This program is not only based on income, but also on income versus the anticipated or accrued medical expenses

Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, local large churches with funding for assisting those in crisis and other charitable organizations in your area (like the United Way) all might have programs to help pay for medication and pay for medical expenses or past-due medical bills. Ask the social services department at the hospital or call your local Department of Human Services for more information.

If your medical bills are past due and you are having trouble paying them all, you might consider applying for a medical bill consolidation loan. While you would have to pay interest on this loan, if you shop around, you can find the lowest rates possible. These types of loans will consolidate all your medical bills into one loan, so you only make one payment and can take longer to pay it off while the medical facilities make their money upfront, so you can continue to use their services.

If you are low-income, pregnant or have a family with children living at home, you might qualify for Medicaid if your monthly medical expenses are high. Medicaid can usually back-pay up to 90 days from the date of the application and then provide free medical care and medications from that point forward. If you are interested, you only need to learn how to apply for Medicaid.