The Cost of Care in the Triad: How Payment Plans Are Helping Patients Bridge the Gap

In a small Triad clinic, a young patient scrolls through her phone, debating whether to book that overdue dental cleaning. It’s a simple appointment, but the cost still stings. Across North Carolina, everyday care keeps getting pricier while paychecks stay about the same, forcing many people to decide between taking care of themselves and keeping the bills paid.

A Mounting Burden in the Triad

In North Carolina, the numbers are stark. Credit bureau data show that more than 8% of consumers had an unpaid medical bill on their credit report in 2023, compared to around 5% nationally. One study estimates that about one in five North Carolinians carries some form of medical debt, although this may be a conservative number.

Digging deeper, researchers at the Urban Institute found that 12 of the 100 U.S. counties with the highest levels of medical debt are in North Carolina — a reflection of structural issues including chronic illness, uninsured status, and low household income.

Locally, clinics and hospital systems are seeing the impact. A recent report revealed that five hospital systems in NC filed almost 6,000 medical-debt lawsuits between 2017 and 2022, with judgments averaging over $16,000.

The result: for many Triad residents, the question isn’t just “Can I afford the treatment?” but “Can I afford what happens afterward?”

Waiting Isn’t Always the Answer

This growing financial stress is also changing patient behavior. Some delay or skip care altogether because the price tag looms larger than the health concern. As one official put it in a recent media interview, “People are not seeking medical attention, not because of their fear of the pain, but their fear of not knowing what it’s going to cost or the economic impact it is going to have on them.”

That decision has ripple effects. Avoiding that tooth cleaning now may lead to root canals later. Skipping the health check-up can mean bigger issues down the line. And the cost doesn’t always stay at the exam room door — it can follow someone into collections, credit reductions, and economic instability.

Enter Flexible Care with Installments

Here’s where things begin to shift. Clinics and care providers are offering more flexible financing options that ever before. This lets patients avoid paying the full cost upfront without wracking up thousands of dollars in credit card debt.

Nationally, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has found that financing products, such as medical credit cards and installment loans, are becoming increasingly common, covering a range of services from specialty care to routine visits.

Locally in the Triad, more providers are embracing the concept of healthcare payment plans, giving patients a transparent and predictable way to manage costs over time rather than facing a single large bill and uncertain consequences.

Putting this into practice means you can receive care today and spread the cost into manageable installments. That shift is increasingly aligning care access with the lived financial realities of patients.

Balancing Opportunity and Caution

Payment plans can offer a meaningful shift… but they’re not a cure-all. The CFPB warns that some financing products can carry hidden costs or be poorly explained, which means consumers may inadvertently commit more than they bargained for.

From a local perspective, this means: when you’re offered a payment plan, ask questions about the interest rate, duration, what happens if you miss a payment, and whether there are alternatives. On the provider side, look for clinics that clearly display their pricing, screen for charity or assistance programs, and offer genuine flexibility.

What This Means for the Triad

For the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point region, the rise of payment-friendly care options has the potential to ease one of the region’s most persistent hurdles: accessibility. As costs rise and insurance gaps persist, these plans can help reduce the barrier between needing care and actually receiving it.

Local health systems are also responding. Some have announced policies to cancel or reduce patient debt and revise billing and financial-assistance practices.

That means for many people in the Triad — especially families navigating high deductibles or unexpected bills — the question shifts from “Can I afford to go?” to “How can I afford to wait?”

Moving Forward

It’s obvious that rising health-care costs are affecting Triad residents in real ways. However, evolving tools like payment plans reflect a shift in how care is delivered both medically and financially. Ensuring care fits within people’s lives and budgets may be one of the most tangible ways to improve community-wellness outcomes in our region.

By offering transparent and manageable payment structures, providers can alleviate the fear and stress associated with health bills. And for patients, that means not just receiving care but participating in it without the dread of a runaway bill.

Ultimately, care that aligns with a person’s budget helps keep lives on track. And in the Triad, that matters.