Boston Globe: Patients piling medical costs on credit cards

[Glenda]

By Christopher Rowland, Globe Staff | January 22, 2007

http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2007/01/22/patients_piling_medical_costs_on_credit_cards/

Some doctors and hospitals are teaming up with financial-services companies to market credit cards to patients, reducing healthcare providers' dependence on bill collection, and causing more low- and middle-income consumers to pay interest on their medical debts.

While hospitals in Massachusetts are not pushing such credit cards, they are attempting to get patients to pay up front for services not covered by insurance, and are routinely asking them to provide credit card information before they receive treatment.

...

In states such as Texas and North Carolina, financial-services companies have joined with healthcare providers in an effort to promote the use of charge cards for medical expenses. For instance, Citibank's Citi Health Card is offered to patients through participating healthcare providers.

The card features monthly payments as low as $10, and has a no-interest option for patients who agree to pay down their debts quickly by making higher monthly payments. But those who do not meet the terms of the payment plans pay annual interest on their balance of more than 20 percent.

...

"The healthcare safety net is made of plastic -- its called 'credit cards' for many people," said Mark Rukavina , director of Access Project, which is affiliated with Brandeis University. "It's a pretty frightening prospect."
...

The Access Project/Demos analysis said medical debts should not be used to tarnish an individual's credit rating, and that doctors and hospitals should be discouraged from marketing credit cards to patients. "Patients unable to pay their bills in full may feel obligated or pressured to accept the terms of credit offered by the very people or institutions that they look to for healing," the report said.

[XanaDUer]

1. This country is so fucked up, it's amazing.

nt.

[Cooley Hurd]

2. K&R - this, coupled with the Bankruptcy bill, is crushing...

...a significant percentage of the middle class.:grr:

[ray of light]

3. there's a lot more to this issue too! I am writing about it but it's a long

involved anger-filled process!

K-and-R this thread. And when I get time, I'll post my info in this thread later today (after work).

[pecwae]

4. The pressure will be brought to bear

on patients to use these CC. When in treatment for cancer I would be called first by the patient account rep to discuss my bill before I could go in to see my onc. I used my CC to pay (to get air miles), but at least I could pull out from savings to pay it off each month. Now it turns out I have overpaid by $150 and am having to fight with someone each week to get it refunded.

So the new CC will get you through the door to see the doc, then the crush of debt will make life unbearable. Circumstances are bad enough in trying to receive healthcare; this adds to it.

[salin]

5. in order to keep giving bigger and bigger tax breaks to the top and to corps

we become further and further in debt.

[formercia]

6. So much for charity cases

What if you're poor and have bad credit. I guess you just have to die.

Greedy Bastards.