A Prepaid Healthcare Gift Card: Would You Use It?

Do you know of any friends or family members that struggle paying for healthcare services? With the nation’s difficult health insurance and medical care system, you may have even had trouble paying for healthcare yourself, which is why the company Highmark has begun offering a new healthcare Visa card, similar to a prepaid gift card. These healthcare gift cards are meant for people who have cannot afford or choose not to get quality healthcare, such as elderly people, college students, and expectant mothers.

How does it Work?

The prepaid healthcare gift card basically works as any other type of gift card, except it’s used for whatever health related expenses the recipient wants. You can place anywhere from $25 to $5,000 on the card and since it is a Visa card, it can be used just about anywhere. Here are some of the common uses for the card:

Paying for expensive prescription drugs
Purchasing a new pair of glasses or contacts
Taking care of back problems at the chiropractor
Getting braces or other dental work
Paying co-pays or deductibles
Getting Elective cosmetic surgeries

Would You Use a Healthcare Gift Card?

While this prepaid healthcare gift card could definitely have some positive uses, it might not be for everyone. On one hand, a gift card like this let’s you give someone a large and secure amount of money, up to $5,000, that you know they’ll use for a good purpose. They’ll put that card toward some needed eye vision surgery or dental work, not a shopping spree at the mall. But on the other hand, health insurance and healthcare is already is a tricky subject that most people don’t like to talk about. Would you be offended or feel odd receiving a gift from someone that’s meant to pay your medical bills? Many people don’t want another person paying their bills, especially when it could be something private. In the end, it comes down to you whether or not you’d use a healthcare gift card, but it’s nice to know the option is there.