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Public clinics are supported by your tax dollars and

also try to reach out to underserved groups. As with
free clinics, they do not want to alienate their potential
clientele, so they also tend to be fairly nonjudgmental.
Sometimes you may get the feeling that they have a
holier-than-thou attitude, but you will still get good
care. A special type of public clinic is the STD (Sexually
Transmitted Disease) Clinic. Their real purpose is to prevent
the spread of STDs; therefore, they may take a dim view
of non-monogamous sex, especially unprotected non-
monogamous sex. Nevertheless, they will give you good
care.

Planned Parenthood and similar clinics provide

medical and reproductive care, primarily to women. They
are supported by a variety of grants, fees, and other
sources of income.

Medicare is a federal program which provides medical

care (but not prescriptions or long-term care) for the aged
and permanently disabled.

Medicaid (MediCal in California) is a health insurance

program for indigent people (people on general
assistance, and, in some states, the "working poor"). It
is a government program, run by the states with mostly
federal money. It pays its providers rather badly, so many
doctors limit the number of Medicaid patients that they
accept. For some people, it is combined with Medicare.

Institutional care. If you are in prison or the armed

forces, you have even more problems to solve: these are
places where the administration might not care that you
are upset with your medical care. Good interpersonal skills
can take you a long way, but the world is not perfect.