Patients want it, but should GPs offer ‘buy now pay later’ services?
The AMA’s Ethics and Medico-Legal Committee recently discussed whether it is ethically appropriate for a doctor to offer Afterpay (or similar) financial payment services in their medical practices.
Afterpay is a payment service promoted as an alternative to credit.1 It charges retailers to offer customers interest-free instalment plans by splitting a purchase amount over four fortnightly instalments.
The service is free to customers who pay on time, with no interest and no contracts. Unlike other payment products, Afterpay does not require customers to enter into a loan or credit facility or pay any upfront fees or interest.
Concerns have been raised that Afterpay (and similar services) derives much of its income from late payment penalties, largely driven by the fact it does not undertake credit checks and is generally used by younger people that may have limited financial literacy or capacity to pay.
