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Does CareCredit cover prescriptions?

By
Julia Hawley
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Julia Hawley is a full-time writer focusing on investing. She combines her writing skills with her experience in personal wealth management.
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Updated January 31, 2022
Reviewed by
Anthony Battle
Anthony Battle
Reviewed by Anthony Battle
Full Bio
Anthony Battle is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. He earned the Chartered Financial Consultant® designation for advanced financial planning, the Chartered Life Underwriter® designation for advanced insurance specialization, the Accredited Financial Counselor® for Financial Counseling and both the Retirement Income Certified Professional®, and Certified Retirement Counselor designations for advance retirement planning.
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In the United States, the health care sector is one of the fastest growing and costliest industries. The demand placed on workers in the industry continues to grow, as do costs to consumers. With a substantial number of individuals in the country unable to afford health insurance and thus unable to obtain crucial care and procedures to improve and sustain their health, CareCredit is becoming a popular option. CareCredit allows a patient to make a series of payments to a medical provider over time.

While it is not intended to be an overall medical credit card, as a rule, pharmacies will generally accept the card to pay for prescriptions or other minor medical supplies. According to the CareCredit website, "Use your CareCredit credit card at our Pharmacy network locations to help pay for items like prescriptions, OTC medicine, vitamins, personal care and beauty."

Key Takeaways

  •  CareCredit is the largest provider of healthcare credit cards in the United States.
  • In general, CareCredit can be used toward prescriptions or other pharmacy-related items.
  • It may also cover veterinary medicine costs.

What CareCredit Is and Where It Can Be Used

CareCredit is a special form of credit card that was designed to be used for beauty, wellness and health care needs. This card allows an individual to make monthly payments to cover the full costs of many treatments and procedures that health care professionals perform. CareCredit provides special financing offers that typically cannot be obtained through traditional credit cards when paying for health-related treatments and procedures.

CareCredit offers shorter-term financing options, between six and 24 months, and it does not charge interest on purchases over $200 when minimum monthly payments are made. It offers longer-term health care financing for periods in excess of 24 months and up to 60 months with an attached annual percentage rate (APR) of 14.9-17.9% until the balance is paid in full.

 Categories that are potentially valid for CareCredit include the following:

  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Cosmetic Procedures
  • Hearing
  • Primary Care/Clinics
  • Specialist Visits
  • Medical Equipment/Supplies
  • Surgery Centers
  • Fitness
  • Animal/Pet Care
  • Labs and Diagnostics
  • Spa
  • Sleep
  • Pharmacy/Personal Care

Pharmacy-Specific Coverage

For pharmacy-specific items, CareCredit may cover:

  • Prescription filling/​renewal/​extensions/​substitutes
  • Flu shots
  • Immunizations and vaccinations
  • Medication administration/​demonstration/​reconciliation
  • Health screenings
  • Durable medical equipment
  • Vitamins and supplements
  • Allergy and sinus
  • Cough, cold and flu
  • Diabetes management
  • Digestive health & nausea
  • Ear and eye Care
  • Family planning
  • First aid
  • Foot care
  • Heart health
  • Home test kits
  • Oral care
  • Pain and fever relief
  • Sleep and snoring aids
  • Smoking cessation
  • Diet and weight loss aids
  • Bath and body
  • Hair care and accessories
  • Shaving and grooming

Other Considerations

Across the U.S., CareCredit is accepted at more than 170,000 providers. Uses include LASIK and other vision care procedures, cosmetic and dermatological procedures, dental care and veterinary care. In many cases, providers have applications for CareCredit, but applications are also available online.

In some instances, a veterinarian who also sells prescriptions may accept CareCredit, but this is not customary. Pet owners should check with their veterinarians to see if they can use CareCredit cards to purchase such prescriptions.

Article Sources
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  1. https://www.carecredit.com/pharmacy-and-prescriptions/#:~:text=Using%20CareCredit%20for%20Pharmacy%20and%20Prescription%20Financing&text=Use%20your%20CareCredit%20credit%20card,%2Dpays%20and%20co%2Dinsurance.