How to Pay for Medical Care

Being able to afford medical care has only become harder for most Americans, even as the rates for medical procedures have gone up. Because of this, struggling Americans are having to go without necessary procedures that could increase the quality and duration of their lives because of a lack of insurance or inability to pay for these procedures upfront. Even those with medical insurance are finding it difficult to get approved for procedures. What are the options for patients who need procedures right now but can’t afford to pay for them right now? United Medical Credit has the answer! With innovative financing options for a broad spectrum of credit and income situations, we are the one-stop source for medical procedure financing for just about any medical need, from cosmetic surgery to fertility treatments to help you grow your family. Unlike insurance companies, we work directly with your healthcare provider so you never borrow more than absolutely necessary, making repayment of the loan simpler and less expensive. Here are some of the procedures and types of treatments we provide financing for so you can pay for medical care: – Cosmetic Surgery While insurance companies frequently claim that cosmetic surgery is not medically necessary, patients suffering from everything from cleft palates to the trauma of double mastectomy would disagree. Cosmetic surgery helps people feel more confident in their appearance and allows them to live fuller, more normal lives even after injury or major surgery. UMC offers flexible financing for cosmetic procedures from facelifts to breast reconstruction and much, much more! – Dental Procedures  Whether you need a wisdom tooth pulled or oral reconstructive surgery, dental procedures are never much fun. When you have to worry about how to pay for them, going to the dentist feels like, well, a trip to the dentist. United Medical Credit’s dental financing options help take the pain of going to the dentist out of your wallet while ensuring you and your family get the care they need for a lifetime of strong, healthy teeth and mouths. – Fertility Treatments Undergoing fertility treatments can be a lengthy, uncertain, and most of all expensive proposition. For couples who want a child but have been unable to conceive naturally, fertility treatments are the last recourse to help these families make a baby of their own. Unfortunately, many health insurance policies challenge the need for these procedures. Having a medical credit card would be helpful, but they don’t exist! United Medical Credit’s financing assistance in amounts from $500 to $20,000 can help you achieve your goals of parenthood without bankrupting yourself in the process. Click here to learn how you can finance your IVF treatments. – Bariatric Treatments For people who have tried diet, exercise, and more extreme methods of weight loss, bariatric surgery such as LapBand procedures may be the only way to lose weight and slow or stop the damage done by secondary problems obesity can cause, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart conditions, and high cholesterol. The expense of these treatments prevents many of the people who could most benefit from them from being able to get these procedures. At United Medical Credit, we do not believe lack of money should mean lack of good health. Our financing options are as good as a medical credit card, allowing you to achieve your weight loss goals without worry! – Lasik and Eye Surgery In an average eyeglass wearer’s lifetime, buying one pair of eyeglasses per year, they will spend roughly $8,400 on eyeglasses. Contacts are slightly less expensive, but much more subject to replacement, and many contact lens users find they still need sunglasses, glasses for reading, and so on, so there’s really not much to choose between the two. Lasik surgery is a popular alternative to having to wear glasses or fuss with contacts, but the price often puts potential LASIK candidates off. UMC believes that money should not be a bar to being able to see your world. Our flexible, affordable financing means you can kiss your eyeglasses goodbye for good! No matter what your medical needs, United Medical Credit has a financing option that can help pay for medical care. While we cannot accept any and all credit, we do offer cosigner and down payment options that can help with your approval. We also offer financing for periods up to 72 months with promotional “same as cash” repayment options. Your overall health should never be contingent on your financial situation when you need to pay for medical care. Follow us on social: Linkedin-in Facebook-f Instagram Twitter

Dental Tourism: Is It Right For Me?

Dental and other forms of medical tourism have become very popular in the United States over the last several years. Among other reasons cited are the expense of having dental work done by a US doctor versus a doctor in another country and the increasing difficulty of finding dentists who accept certain dental plans, particularly those available to self-employed individuals. While it is certainly an option, there are a number of thing to consider when deciding whether dental tourism is the best choice for your needs. The Pros of Dental Tourism Expense: Many doctors charge a quarter to three quarters of what an American doctor can abroad. This makes dental tourism a very attractive notion. Mexico, India, and Thailand are currently hotbeds for American medical tourism, because of the cost and the autonomy doctors in these and other nations are afforded. Treatments such as veneers and crowns, which may be completely unattainable for many Americans under the US healthcare system, are more affordable in other countries, even when taking into account the cost of traveling to the country in question. Transparency in Pricing: In order to stay competitive in the global market, many dentists abroad offer pricing that is more clearly identified than is common among US dentists. While your insurance bill may be confusing and difficult to understand, many foreign dentists make a point to tell you the price upfront, as well as what’s included. This “no surprises” billing makes budgeting and planning for your trip easier, which is one of many reasons why dental tourism is booming. While this sounds great, there is a downside as well. The Cons of Dental Tourism Reduced Legal Recourse: Undergoing a medical procedure far from home, especially on a visiting basis, severely curtails your ability to seek redress through the judicial system if something goes wrong or the work proves to be faulty. Additionally, many countries, especially developing nations, do not have the government oversight and patient protection in place that the US does. This makes any form of medical tourism a risky gamble. Less Government Oversight: Countries like the US, Canada, and the UK have national standards in place for certification of medical personnel. In some countries, however, simply having some basic tools, a storefront, and a sign is sufficient to call oneself a dentist. This increases the risk that a poorly or not at all trained person is working on one of your greatest assets: your mouth! Quality of Treatment: Because American standards of dental care are so high, dentists are forced to rise to the challenge. In other countries, this is not necessarily the case. A veneer that may cost $3000 USD in America may only be $1200 USD in India, but that does not mean the individual installing the veneer is qualified or competent to do so. Also, the ever-present question of how much and how good the aftercare you can expect during a vacation-length recovery period arises here. For this reason alone, cheap doesn’t automatically equate to good. Location and Qualifications: If something goes wrong, how far are you willing or able to go to have it fixed? If you live in California, skipping across the border to Mexico could be a ten-minute trip. From New York to Acapulco is another matter entirely. It should also be remembered that in some countries, simply taking a course on dental hygiene qualifies people to pull teeth! You should always be sure the person who will be doing the work is certified, has good references, and will back their work, even to the point of paying your trip back if the dental work isn’t done properly. Conclusions While dental tourism is a valid option for many people, it may not be the best or the only option for you. Instead of spending your valuable and hard-earned vacation time getting your teeth drilled, wouldn’t it be better to spend that same time relaxing and enjoying the fruits of your labor? United Medical Credit can help make going to a certified dentist or orthodontist in your own town easy and affordable, with flexible billing plans and lines of credit from $500 to $20,000 with a variety of payment options and incentives for even those customers with less than perfect credit. Before you spend your vacation abroad getting dental work done, why not see if you can have it done here at home? Then you can spend your vacation on vacation, instead of convalescing. Contact United Medical Credit today and find out what dental financing options we can offer for your dental procedure! Follow us on social: Linkedin-in Facebook-f Instagram Twitter