Is it because unpaid medical bills under $500 will no longer hit your credit report? I'm a victim of identity theft about 10 years ago and leery of this.
2 of my doctor's offices suddenly requiring a credit card on file
byu/Active_Elk_4831 inpersonalfinance
Posted by Active_Elk_4831
13 Comments
Call them and ask why. Or, walk in and ask in person.
this is a pretty common practice nowadays. pretty much all of my doctors require this of all their patients. also the $500 thing is no longer a thing – at least at the federal level. it is only on a state by state basis.
This is a becoming standard practice, my wife’s new doctor and my vets for my pets do this and I’ve been with the vet for over a decade.
I’ve had credit cards on file with various practices for years, and haven’t had any issues.
God I wish my doctor kept my credit card on file so I remembered to pay my bills
I always lose the piece of mail since their online pay system is bad
This is news to me.
I wonder how they are going to handle patients without credit cards.
Maybe related to no show policy? When patients no show the practice loses money.
It’s so they don’t get stiffed after providing services or for you failing to give them proper notice that you can’t make an appointment.
There really aren’t any “identity theft concerns” with a credit card. If the card is stolen or misused, you cancel it, get your money back, and get another card. Very short phone call.
I self-pay in advance, so this would annoy me.
It’s fair to ask how they are securing the information. They need to be Payment Card Industry compliant (https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/standards/).
Just, we have it in the files, but they’re covered by HIPAA isn’t sufficient.
Too much identify theft originates in medical office and facilities, now I’m supposed to give them a credit card number to have on file too? What are the data security policies? Will you be reimbursed for theft or fraud? What’s the process? Or am I supposed to assist in my own robbery? Sounds like the perfect opportunity to use a prepaid card with a very low limit.
Give them a junk number. Citi has virtual numbers you can generate and set a timeline for the card or a dollar amount. Like you gan make a virtual credit card number that can only spend $10/mo for the next year or whatever you want.
I’ve just refused to give numbers to them. They also now ask me to pay ahead of time for crap, I refuse and tell them I’ll pay the balance after insurance pays them. I don’t trust either group to do anything correct in terms of estimating the cost. I haven’t received pushback yet on my refusals.
It was common in my area for Urgent Care and Immediate Care practices, never my actual primary care office, to require a credit card remain on file. I have noticed in the past couple of years they stopped doing it and just learned that requirement ended due to a legal settlement in 2023.