How CarePayment works, from first bill to final payment

What happens behind the scenes

CarePayment sits between a patient and a healthcare provider. The provider sponsors the program and pays CarePayment's program fees, so the patient's line of credit can carry a 0.00% APR. Once your balance is placed with CarePayment, CarePayment handles the statements and payments until the balance is paid in full (Provider FAQs).

The account is an open-end line of credit, not a loan with a single lump sum and not a credit card. It is issued by Republic Bank & Trust Company, and materials you receive are usually co-branded with your hospital or clinic's name.

Who qualifies and what you'll need

CarePayment says every patient who passes identity verification can qualify (What is CarePayment?). There's no income test, no credit score cutoff and no application. Hospital program pages list the details they'll ask for so CarePayment can verify you and mail your kit:

• Current mailing address and email
• Date of birth
• Social Security number or tax ID

Bassett Healthcare Network and Texoma Medical Center both list these items on their enrollment instructions (Bassett, Texoma). Keeping them up to date with your provider is the easiest way to avoid a delayed Welcome Kit.

The five steps

1. Ask your provider or accept the offerRequest CarePayment from your provider's billing office, or watch for an offer after your visit. Some providers enroll patients before care.
2. Verify your identityCarePayment says every patient who passes identity verification can qualify. There is no credit application.
3. Open the Welcome KitThe kit arrives by mail or email with your account agreement, first statement and first due date.
4. Make the first paymentPay online, by phone, by mail or at your provider. The first payment activates the account.
5. Set up the member portalCreate an online profile to view statements, set autopay and manage alerts.

Payment amounts and term lengths

Your provider sets the program terms, so monthly amounts vary. Public examples give a sense of the range:

• Bassett Healthcare Network says monthly payments can be as low as $25 and excludes cosmetic services (Bassett).
• MultiCare uses CarePayment for long-term plans of 12 months or more and handles shorter plans itself (MultiCare).

Because the rate is 0.00%, the monthly payment is simply your balance divided by the number of months. Use the estimator below to see what a balance looks like over different terms.

Adding future care to the same account

Subject to your agreement, approved charges from the same provider can be added to your CarePayment account and consolidated into one monthly statement. CarePayment says it currently offers 0.00% APR on additional charges as well (Patient FAQs).

Opting out

Participation is voluntary. You can cancel at any time; the remaining balance goes back to your healthcare provider, which may then ask you to pay it in full under its own billing policies.

Short-term vs. long-term plans

Some health systems split payment plans by length. MultiCare, for example, handles plans under 12 months itself (through MyChart or its billing office) and uses CarePayment for long-term plans of 12 months or more (MultiCare). If your provider does the same, a smaller balance may never reach CarePayment at all.

Family accounts and early payoff

Ridgecrest Regional Hospital says its CarePayment program can consolidate family members' charges under a single account, and that there are no prepayment penalties (Ridgecrest). Paying extra or paying off early simply shortens your plan.

Example timeline

Timing varies by provider. Bassett notes the first statement may take several weeks to arrive.

Mistakes to avoid

• Ignoring the Welcome Kit. Until you pay, the account isn't active, and the balance may go back to your provider.
• Paying an unverified link. Pay only through member.carepayment.com, the app, the phone line, the P.O. box or your provider.
• Skipping the agreement. Your CarePayment Agreement lists your terms; read it before your first payment.
• Turning off autopay too soon. If payments stop, the account closes and your provider's billing rules apply again.

What CarePayment covers

CarePayment pays down the balance you owe your provider after insurance has paid its portion (Patient FAQs). That usually means deductibles, coinsurance, copays that add up, or self-pay balances if you're uninsured. Each provider decides which services qualify; Bassett, for example, excludes cosmetic services (Bassett).

Key terms

Open-end line of credit

An account that can take new approved charges, unlike a one-time loan.

0.00% APR

No interest. For CarePayment it applies for as long as you're paying your initial charges.

Initial charges

The first balance your provider places with CarePayment.

Additional charges

Later approved charges added to the same account, currently also at 0.00% APR.

Welcome Kit

The packet with your agreement, first statement and due date.

Activation

Your first payment, which turns the offer into an active account.