You bit into something a little too hard, got in an accident at soccer practice or maybe even woke up in deeply rooted mouth pain in the middle of the night and what’s your first thought? The spiral of panic comes crashing down, “How much is this going to cost me?” “How am I going to pay for this?” “What if they make me pay upfront and I don’t have anything?”
Your first mistake is thinking there’s no way you’re ever going to be able to afford to help your pain. 69% of Americans have under $1,000 in their savings account. Even worse? 34% of the 7,000+ Americans polled in a GoBankingRates.com survey in 2016 said they had savings accounts with balances of $0.
We’re not here to make anyone feel bad about their finances. Afterall, 29% of Americans have started working “side gigs” to supplement their daily jobs just to get by or put a little more disposable income in their pockets.
Whether you’re part of this 29% or not, we get it. Those “life happens” moments are some of life’s biggest burdens. Which is why medical providers, like Emergency Dental, have a wide array of payment options for those less than welcome unexpected moments.
Before you brush your pain off your shoulder and pretend it’s not there, take a look at these options. Because pain can’t wait.
CareCredit
From pet care, beauty care, dental and more, CareCredit helps your family afford the care you need. So how does CareCredit work?
One of the biggest stressors patients have been hoping their health insurance covers their procedure, which, many times, it doesn’t. CareCredit covers many of those procedures that fall straight through health insurance coverage package. Nearly 60% out of the 75% of adults who said they plan to visit the dentist within the next year didn’t go because of the cost.
CareCredit began in 1987 by Dentist, Ralph Stern, who realized the practice was losing several clients to the cost of the practice. CareCredit now allows patients to pay for copayments, deductibles and prescriptions to care for the rising out-of-pocket costs.
No Credit Check
Approximately 14% of Americans have no credit score – also known as, “credit invisible.” This makes it difficult to start a line of credit and make large buying decisions in life, including dental assistance. Which is why we don’t check for a line of credit.
Little or No Down Payment
There’s no time to save up or ask a friend for a loan when there’s searing pain in your mouth. Not to mention the dip in workplace productivity when you’re pushing yourself to go to work if you’re not feeling your best. Then your boss raises concern about your recent productivity issues and urges you to go home, potentially costing you more sick days than you bargained for.
Tackle this immediately because the pay options could be way more generous (like no money down) and the relief is worth it.
Affordable Monthly Rates
You’re not a fan of credit cards, assistive cards or not paying any money up front, but don’t have the bandwidth to pay in full? Welcome to the monthly payments option, a favorite among many. Maybe you’ll have to sacrifice your Netflix subscription for a few months or even Friday night pizza, but chiseling away until you’re all paid up is more than rewarding.
To budget for upcoming expenses that only last a short while, take a look at last month’s bank statement to see what expenses fall out of recurring bills/needs vs. wants.
If you’re not much of a number’s person, consider budgeting apps like EveryDollar and LearnVest.
Don’t let your bank account keep you from getting the care you need. There are always options available. For more information on Emergency Dental services and payment methods, check out your options.