That includes Winston Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health, which began offering patients interest-free payment plans in 2013 through San Diego, Calif.-based ClearBalance, according to the report. For at least 10 years, Carolinas HealthCare System in Charlotte had offered some interest-free plans, and has now expanded patients’ options, the report reads.
Carolinas Healthcare’s current charity care plan gives uninsured patients earning below 200 percent of the federal poverty level the opportunity to qualify for free care, while those earning from 200 to 400 percent of the poverty level are able to qualify for discounts, according to the report. The report also notes that patients may get hardship settlements if their balances are more than $5,000 after all insurance payments, as long as that amount is more than 20 percent of household financial resources.
Novant switched to no-interest loans and has since seen its default rate for patients drop from 31 percent to 9.6 percent, and it also collected 6 percent more from patients on payment plans in 2014 compared to 2013, according to the report.
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