Seventy-two percent of consumers do not pay their healthcare bills immediately, according to the results of a survey by AccessOne, a provider of consumer-centric patient payment tools and financing options. The data show that those who do pay their medical bills on time wait until just before the due date to do so.
The survey was commissioned by AccessOne and conducted by global advertising, technology and data company Big Village Oct. 4 to 6. Big Village surveyed 1,016 adults.
The vast majority (68%) of those who delay payment said it is because they don’t have the means to pay their bills on time. Those without means often opt to use a credit card to help with payment, according to the survey. Thirty-two percent of respondents said they have used a personal credit card to pay for a healthcare bill over the past 12 months.
“However, the decision to use personal credit cards carries a fair degree of risk,” AccessOne cautioned. That’s because the use of personal credit cards for healthcare expenditures doesn’t count as ‘medical debt.’ ”
“Any charges incurred by the credit card holder — such as penalties for late payments — can be subject to interest,” the company said. “Late payments or missed payments to the credit card affect one’s credit rating.”
Almost half (48%) of all survey respondents said that they have chosen to postpone healthcare or opted to forgo filling prescriptions in an effort to reduce medical expenses.
Americans aged 35 to 44 feel the pinch more than those in other age brackets, according to the data.
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