The era of healthcare-related credit cards has waned since the Great Recession, accelerated in part by the likelihood of greater access to insurance starting next year, reported Fox Business.
For instance, Chase, Capital One and Humana all have discontinued their credit programs for healthcare, the article noted.
However, industry observers say more patients put off healthcare procedures during the peak of the recession, and the implementation of much of the Affordable Care Act next year will likely curb demand even more.
"I would expect that there would be less of a need for these credit cards if more people have insurance," Gina Calabrese, a law professor at St. John's University, told Fox Business.
Moreover, hospitals are appearing to have more success collecting from patients by offering more generous financing terms or enrolling them directly into coverage.
The Sharp Healthcare system in San Diego has been able to enroll about 80 percent of uninsured patients who come through the emergency room into some form of insurance after screening them during the admission process.
About 200 U.S. hospitals also are offering zero interest finance options to improve their collections rate.
For more:
- read the Fox Business article