Brighter

Many companies are selling so-called discount health cards to consumers seeking affordable healthcare. Usually for a monthly fee, the cards claim to save subscribers money by offering discounts on physician visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, dental work, eye care and other treatment. Discount health cards also can be confusing, because they are not insurance. You still must pay the medical bills yourself. These cards simply offer lower prices to members who use participating service providers that accept the discounts.

Some health discount plans are deceptively advertised to make it seem they’re selling real insurance, making grossly inflated promises about savings and benefits, costing far more money than they’re worth. Since discount cards aren’t insurance, there may be fewer consumer protections because your state insurance department may not regulate them, and salespersons may not need a license or a background in healthcare.

The BBB routinely advises those considering purchasing healthcare coverage to investigate the company and its claims before making a buying decision, or cancelling your current plan. If you give up your current health coverage, mistakenly believing you found a better insurance deal, you could find yourself with no coverage. The promised discounts may not exist, or may be exaggerated. In the end, you may have to pay more money than you thought. Your health care may be compromised. The medical providers and treatments the cards promise you may not exist. Some health discount providers may sell you little more than access to a large mailing list of medical providers that it purchased commercially. Providers don’t always know they’re even listed, and thus may not give you promised discounts. Provider lists even could have outdated and useless names. Don’t assume you’re getting access to a large provider network just because your discount card displays the network’s name and logo. If you plan to use a specific listed doctor, call them, and ask if they participate or if they will honor the discount plan. Watch out for hidden fees which might be associated with the plan. Be wary if company personnel or other sales persons seem evasive, ill-informed or are reluctant to provide you detailed material about the card. Ask specific questions, and demand specific answers. Avoid giving your credit card and checking account numbers to strangers selling discount cards over the phone or the Internet. Fees for the card might be charged to your credit card even if you don’t sign up.