From the ArcaMax Publishing, Cats & Dogs Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/catsanddogs/s-174514-807058
There may come a time when your pet requires a medical procedure that
you can't afford. Hopefully you'll never have to face this situation,
but chances are you will. And it's never at a time when you have lots
of extra cash in your bank account just waiting to be spent!
Many veterinary hospitals do not offer payment programs. This is
simply because many pet owners never follow-up on their payments.
Don't take it personally. If they did accept payments they would have
to charge even more to cover the costs associated with the deadbeats.
But that doesn't help you out does it?
Well, luckily there is a solution to this problem. Veterinary
hospitals have begun working with two companies that take care of
setting up payment programs for them. This is a great solution because
the credit service pays the hospital and you can take as long as you
want (almost) to pay off the bill. Just be sure to pay off the balance
before the interest kicks in. It all varies depending on the plan you
choose and what you are approved for.
The two payment services are Care Credit ( http://www.carecredit.com )
and the Citibank Health Card
(http://www.citibank.com/us/cards/cardserv/healthcrd/). You can apply
online for credit. Your veterinary hospital will probably have an
account set up with one or the other. Do a search to see if your
veterinary hospital is listed on their list of providers.
Other medical providers such as dentists and eye doctors also accept
this form of credit, so it can be used for things other than your
veterinary bills.
If your veterinary hospital does not have an account set up with
either company, you many want to consider taking your pet to another
hospital in your area that does.
Here's some testimonials from the CareCredit website:
My dog was very sick and needed emergency surgery or she would have
died. I had the money for the surgery in savings, but when the vet
offered to enroll me in CareCredit, I thought that it would be an
opportunity to spread the payments over a six month period, without
interest, and not have to dip into savings. It was great. It made a
very traumatic experience less traumatic because I didn't have to
worry about the financial aspects. - Maryann M.
I am single and live on my own with very little income. My cat is my
baby and he became sick. I was so upset because I did not think I
would be able to afford his healthcare. My veterinarian told me about
CareCredit and I was so pleased that I was able to apply and have an
account that I could use for my cat's healthcare. If it was not for
CareCredit, I would not be able to afford healthcare for my best furry
friend in the entire world. - Rebecca F.
CareCredit seems to be more popular with veterinary hospitals because
it's endorsed by the American Animal Hospital Assocation but both
companies offer pretty much the same features and benefits.
The advantage to using these accounts as opposed to a credit card is
that you don't have to pay any interest as long as you pay off the
balance before your deadline. If you don't you'll be paying some hefty
interest charges though!
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This tip courtesy of Dogproblems.com