If you can help your patients understand with financial transparency, you can remove barriers to care that could improve their quality of life, alleviate pain and prevent more serious issues down the line.
Wellness is more important to consumers than ever, according to McKinsey and Company’s 2025 Wellness Survey. In the US alone, it is estimated that it represents more than $500 billion in annual spend, growing 4 to 5% each year.
In fact, 84% of US consumers say wellness is a “top” or “important” priority. And now, younger generations are joining in on this trend with nearly 30% of Gen Z (people born between 1997 and 2012) and Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) reporting prioritizing wellness “a lot more” compared with one year ago.
Prioritizing wellness can be difficult
Consumers today face a healthcare payment process that is expensive, stressful and challenging.
The cost of healthcare continues to rise, as do insurance plan premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, while insurance plan coverage continues to go down. Consequently, it’s no surprise consumers are shouldering a greater financial burden for their care.
As a result, many people may be forced to delay or put off recommended healthcare. Research shows 52% of surveyed consumers struggle to pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses, and 53% delay medical treatments due to out-of-pocket costs.
This could have dire consequences for people’s health, as the buildup of ill-health and delaying medical care can result in worsening health outcomes and increasing overall cost of care. A lack of early and ongoing access to a range of health and wellness tools and services increases the likelihood of more complicated healthcare needs down the road.
Empower access to care through financial education
So, how can people pay for and get the health and wellness care, products and services they want; especially for wellness care, often characterized as elective and not covered by insurance.
While various options exist, including financial assistance (if applicable), health savings accounts (HSA), flexible spending accounts (FSA) and in-house payment plans, third-party financing options are another valuable resource for your patients to fit the care they want into their budgets and wellness goals.
The need for such solutions is underscored by polling data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, which continues to find the high cost of healthcare is a burden on US families, with nearly half (44%) of US adults saying it is difficult to afford healthcare costs. Furthermore, a 2025 study revealed half of Americans have less than $500 in savings, leaving them vulnerable to unexpected expenses.
As consumers navigate the uncertain economic landscape, helping them understand their options to pay for health and wellness costs is a pressing necessity. Even more important is ensuring consumers fully understand how these financial solutions work before applying.
Set a new industry standard
Beyond simply offering financing options, you and your team should also consider the patient journey and experience at your practice as it relates to financial obligations. Research3 also found 50% of consumers report feelings of stress, anxiety, sadness, annoyance or frustration about out-of-pocket medical expenses, and 40% describe deciding how to pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses as stressful, frustrating, challenging or confusing.
How can your staff help ease patients’ money worries? Many providers take finance and care a step further by employing on-site care coordinators dedicated to helping patients navigate the payment process and choose a care plan that aligns with their budget and goals.
A care coordinator can direct patients to some of the many online resources available to help consumers plan for care before they apply for third-party financing. No matter which financing resource you’re working with, a variety of consumer financing tips and tools are available, including:
- Procedure calculator: This resource provides the estimated cost of more than 700 health, wellness and veterinary care procedures based on ZIP code, represented by the average cost from the top three cities within each state across the US. This tool helps people plan for care and how to pay by knowing estimated costs up front.
- Payment options: An explanation of options to pay for health and wellness expenses not covered by insurance. From ensuring you’re maximizing your insurance to using an FSA, it’s important for people to know their options.
- Promotional financing overview: Easy-to-understand explanations of different promotional financing options available as well as an overview of how deferred interest and reduced/fixed APR work.
- Payment calculator: Estimates a patient’s monthly payments based on the amount financed and the promotional financing option selected, so people can determine if the care they want can fit into their budget.
- A sample billing statement: Offers guidance on how to read and find important information on monthly statements, such as the amount owed if a balance remains when a promotional period expires.
- Provider tips: Health and wellness providers share how they ensure patients understand their financing options, as well as questions patients should ask their providers about paying for care.
In addition to the above resources, having a dedicated staff member on-site who can answer patients’ questions about the financing tools you offer can dissolve the stress surrounding the challenges of paying for care. Helping your patients make informed, confident decisions about their care not only enables them to move forward with the treatments you recommend but also helps reduce their stress and build trust and loyalty with your practice.
Final thoughts
It’s wonderful to know people are embracing wellness more than ever, and this reality makes viable financing options more valuable than ever. DCs and their teams play an essential role in helping people understand and move forward with care plans and payment options that work for their patient’s budget.
By directing patients to web resources and taking time to answer their questions, chiropractic practices can help people understand how financing works in advance, ideally remove barriers to chiropractic care that could improve their quality of life, alleviate pain and prevent more serious issues down the line.
Brigitte Rozenberg, DC, is a highly respected chiropractic doctor specializing in non-surgical spinal and disc treatment and is currently the CEO and clinical director of Spinatomy Spine and Disc Centers in Los Angeles, California. She is the creator of the Advanced Spinal Restoration Treatment and completed her training at Cleveland Chiropractic College. Rozenberg is a board-certified DC in California, along with being certified in industrial injury evaluation and by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. For more information, visit spinatomycenters.com, email drrozenberg@spinatomycenters.com or call 310-989-4624.
Claude Royster is vice president and general manager of Healthcare Select Specialties at Synchrony’s Health and Wellness platform, where he leads sales, strategy and growth for financial solutions including CareCredit and Allegro. With more than 30 years of experience in sales, account management and operations, Royster previously held leadership roles in Synchrony’s Payment Solutions division and managed key client relationships at Citigroup. He is also co-advisor of the Black Experience Diversity Network (BE+) in Chicago and holds a BS in economics from Northern Illinois University. For more information, visit carecredit.com.
References
- Pione A, et al. The $2 trillion global wellness market gets a Millennial and Gen Z glow-up. May 2025. McKinsey and Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/future-of-wellness-trends. Accessed August 8, 2025.
- Collins SR, et al. Paying for It: How healthcare costs and medical debt are making Americans sicker and poorer. [Survey]. October 2023. The Commonwealth Fund. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/surveys/2023/oct/paying-for-it-costs-debt-americans-sicker-poorer-2023-affordability-survey. Accessed August 8, 2025.
- How cost impacts the patient and provider journey. July 2024. [Article]. Synchrony, Health and Wellness. https://www.carecredit.com/providers/insights/how-cost-impacts-patient-and-provider-journey/. Accessed August 8, 2025.
- Ratnapradipa K, et al. Factors associated with delaying medical care: cross-sectional study of Nebraska adults. BMC Health Services Research. 2023;23(118). https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-023-09140-0#Bib1. Accessed August 8, 2025.
- Sparks G, et al. Americans’ challenges with healthcare costs. [Article]. July 2024. KFF. https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/americans-challenges-with-health-care-costs/. Accessed August 8, 2025.
- Olya G. How much money do Americans have in their bank accounts in 2025? January 2025. [Article]. GoBankingRates. https://www.gobankingrates.com/banking/banks/how-much-money-do-americans-have-in-their-bank-accounts-2025/. Accessed August 8, 2025.
