In recent years, medical credit cards have made their way into the South Florida offices of dentists, ophthalmologists and other doctors as one way people can finance their care.
These are not the typical credit cards you use to buy groceries or your next plane ticket — they’re specifically meant for medical care at participating providers. But consumer advocate Patricia Kelmar is sounding the alarm over how the cards actually work.
“They’re called credit cards, but they are actually an installment loan” with a bank, not the healthcare provider, said Kelmar, senior director of healthcare campaigns at PIRG, a nonprofit that advocates for consumer protections and public health…