A large number of healthcare providers are offering an option to the patients to charge their cost of medication and treatment on their medical credit cards. These cards are offered by various financial services firms and are meant for consumers who are paying out of their pocket for those treatments that are not covered by their insurance policy.

A medical credit card is offered with a deferred interest payment option, allowing consumers to enjoy a zero-interest charge if they pay the balance amount within a specific period of time.

Cons of a medical credit card
The card comes with a number of confusing features like deferred interest payment option. This could cause the consumers to end up paying huge interest charges. Sometimes, the consumers may be charged upfront for the treatment they did not receive and with this, they end up losing the opportunity to negotiate the prices with providers of health care services. If you get an opportunity to negotiate the charges with the service providers, you can end up saving more money than that in a zero-interest plan. There is a major concern about the health care providers offering the medical credit cards. People are looking for a medical advice and not a financial decision.

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Many patients are attracted to the card for the no-interest charge. This requires the payment of full balance before the end of the period. You will have to make minimum monthly payments to enjoy the no-interest charge. Those consumers who do not pay the balance in full will be charged interest on the full original purchase amount. The interest rates are high, and you might end up paying a lot more than the actual cost of treatment you receive against the card. Late payments have an impact on your credit report, and they trigger higher interest charges. There are some health care providers who promote medical credit card as a means of paying for the treatments even before the treatment has begun. With aggressive sales tools used by the companies, you might be tempted to invest into one and pay the bills in advance.

Consumers should not rush to pay by plastic when they are paying medical bills. When you pay out of your pocket, you can negotiate and get a better deal. If you have information about the prevailing rates for treatments and medication, you can negotiate and get a far better deal. When you pay with a credit card, you lose the ability to negotiate. You can also end up paying a huge amount of interest if you miss a monthly payment. The card is suitable only if you manage to pay the minimum amount each month and full balance within the specified period of time in order to save on the interest.

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