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Free care routes: what you can get without paying, by country
Every navigator on this site shows the free route before any kit or programme. This page is that list in one place. Last reviewed 25 September 2026.
The rule that applies everywhere: if you have symptoms, the free route is usually a clinician — and a clinician acts on the result. Paid kits and programmes are for when the wait is long, you're paying anyway, or you want privacy. Take any abnormal private result back to the free route.
United States
Blood tests
With symptoms, a test your primary-care clinician orders is billed as diagnostic and is generally covered, subject to your deductible and co-pay. Ask the office which diagnosis code they'll use — a "routine screening" code is the one most often denied for tests like vitamin D. Preventive tests with no co-pay under most plans: cholesterol at your annual visit, HbA1c with risk factors, STI screening, and many vaccines. Without insurance, ordering directly from a national lab (Quest, Labcorp, or a reseller) and walking in for the draw is usually cheaper than a mail-in kit: ferritin about $10–30, TSH $19–65, vitamin D $23–80. Mail-in kits are usually HSA/FSA-eligible.
A doctor visit
No insurance? Federally funded community health centers charge on a sliding scale based on income and cannot turn you away for inability to pay. Many offer lab work, mental-health and dental care.
Mental health
Call or text 988 (24/7, free). Many employers include free counselling sessions through an Employee Assistance Program — ask HR, it's confidential. Open Path Collective lists therapists at $40–80 a session. NAMI runs free peer support groups.
Sexual health
Public health departments and Planned Parenthood clinics offer free or low-cost STI testing; preventive screening is covered by most plans with no co-pay. HIV PEP after an exposure is urgent (within 72 hours) — go to an emergency department or sexual-health clinic.
Weight
Obesity counselling is a covered preventive benefit under most plans. GLP-1 coverage varies by employer plan; ask about prior authorisation before signing up to anything private.
Canada
Blood tests
Almost everything is covered when a family doctor, nurse practitioner or walk-in clinic writes the requisition: TSH, ferritin, B12, HbA1c, lipids, CBC. The exception is vitamin D, which most provinces fund only with a qualifying condition (osteoporosis, malabsorption, kidney disease, certain medicines); otherwise it's about C$40–60 at LifeLabs or Dynacare. Results usually appear in your provincial patient portal within days.
A doctor visit
No family doctor? Walk-in clinics and provincial virtual-care lines (811 in most provinces) can assess and write requisitions. Join your province's family-doctor waitlist; some provinces now attach patients within months.
Mental health
Call or text 9-8-8 (24/7, English and French). Most provinces fund free CBT-based programmes — BounceBack, Wellness Together Canada, and provincial lines. Many workplaces include an EAP with free sessions.
Sexual health
Sexual-health clinics test free without a referral in every province; many offer same-day results for some infections.
Weight
Assessment through your family doctor is free. Some provincial and workplace drug plans cover certain medications with prior approval; ask before paying privately.
United Kingdom
Blood tests
Your GP can order thyroid, ferritin, B12, HbA1c and cholesterol free on the NHS when there's a reason; results appear in the NHS App in about a week. Vitamin D is ordered only with a clinical reason — otherwise the NHS position is a 10 µg daily supplement in autumn and winter without testing. From 40, the free NHS Health Check every five years covers cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes risk.
A doctor visit
GP appointments are free. If waits are long, ask about the surgery's online consultation form, pharmacy first (pharmacists can treat several common conditions), or NHS 111 for urgent advice.
Mental health
You can refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies without seeing a GP — search the name plus your area. Samaritans 116 123 (free, 24/7); text SHOUT to 85258. Every Mind Matters has free NHS-approved self-help.
Sexual health
Sexual-health clinics are free and confidential, and most areas offer free postal STI kits. PEP is available at clinics and A&E within 72 hours.
Weight
Your GP can refer you to free NHS Tier 2 or Tier 3 weight-management services and the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme. NHS access to GLP-1 medication exists but is limited by strict criteria.
When the free route is slow
That's what the navigators are for: they show which paid option is worth it for your situation, from companies that use accredited labs or licensed clinicians. Start with the at-home test matcher, the mental-health support finder, or the medical weight-loss check. Emergency numbers for all three countries are on the emergency page.
General information, not medical advice — see our medical disclaimer. Coverage rules change; confirm with your plan or provider.