“Sometimes when people see any kind of bill, they think they need to pay it,” says Jen Flory, a policy advocate at the Western Center on Law & Poverty, which supported the legislation. “So unless they understand that, ‘Oh, I reached my deductible, or my out-of-pocket max,’ people panic and do whatever they need to do to pay the bill. And it can be hard to get the money back from providers if they pay unnecessarily.”
Are Medical Credit Cards a Debt Trap?
Western Center attorney and policy advocate Jen Flory joined The Doctors for a segment on the topic of high interest medical credit cards. Some dental patients face years of debt due to high interest credit cards, many of which are promoted when patients are vulnerable and in pain.
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California curbs deferred-interest credit for veterinary care
“Few consumers understand that if they fail to pay the entire balance during the introductory period or if they make a late payment, they end up with an interest charge that can be larger than the remaining balance, according to state Sen. Holly J. Mitchell, who co-authored the law, and Jen Flory, a health policy advocate with Western Center on Law & Poverty.”
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Dental patients face years of debt, inflated bills with ‘out-of-pocket’ credit cards
Western Center on Law & Poverty policy advocate Jen Flory explains the concerns regarding medical credit cards, and how Senate Bill 639 will address these problems.
