Page 11 - South Florida Hospital News Nov 2021

Tips for Safer Travel How Being Credit Invisible

for the 2021 Holiday Season Is Affecting Minority Groups’

Access to Healthcare
The safe and effective created equal. Surgical,
COVID-19 vaccines have NK95 and multilayer
facilitated safer travel. masks are the safest. In a year of racial or a home and affording medical
Over the past 18 months, Remember that the sick reckoning on many expenses is nearly impossible.
we have learned that the person wearing a mask can fronts, we’re also seeing As someone who spent most of
COVID-19 virus is still transmit the virus, but a greater focus on racial my career in finance, I’ve become
resilient, changes frequent- if you wear the correct health disparities — convinced that moving away
ly, and the currently circu- mask properly, it prevents why people of color from an over-reliance on credit
lating Delta variant not you from inhaling the have lower life scores and looking at patients’
only affects people of all virus. Keep the mask on at expectancies and are bigger financial picture will help
ages, including younger all times. If you have to eat sicker as a group than to close the medical access gap.
children, but is also more or drink, put the mask the white population. The “old way” of simply using
transmissible and infec- BY KUNJANA back on as soon as possi- Some might be sur- credit scores to evaluate some-
tious. Fortunately, we MAVUNDA, MD ble. Bring your own prised that an over- one’s ability to pay is archaic and
expect children ages five snacks that do not require reliance on credit scores BY JAMES N. it disfavors younger people,
to twelve to be eligible for too much food handling. may be a key contribut- GIORDANO Blacks and Hispanics, and any-
the shot soon. • Trip Logistics: It is important to ing factor. one without favorable credit
Younger children and unvaccinated consider who you are visiting and the Much has been studied and written scores. Credit scores are limiting and sim-
children and adults remain a concern logistics of the potential stay. You should about the varied causes of health dispari- ply don’t provide the full picture. And
for holiday travel. They can be asympto- know that those around you are vacci- ties for Black and Hispanic populations, finally big lenders are realizing that credit
matic carriers of the virus, and can nated, and if you are staying overnight including less access to care and implicit scores aren’t a reliable way to measure
unknowingly transmit the virus to with family, consider how crowded the bias on the part of healthcare providers. lending decisions. In fact, according to a
unvaccinated children and vulnerable or residence will be. Make sure the sleep- But at a time when people are having to recent survey, 48% of lenders are less con-
immune-compromised people – leading ing arrangements don’t mix and match reach into their own pockets to pay for big fident making consumer decisions based
to serious outcomes. pods; people sleeping in the same room deductibles, high co-pays, and medical on traditional credit scores and reports.
Many travel plans include visiting should be from the same household. expenses not covered by insurance, the Fortunately, there are better ways to
families and friends, and as plans come Finally, consider whether or to what inability to access medical credit is a major evaluate people’s propensity to pay, if
together, we must all make sure to extent everyone will be able to follow aggravating factor, especially for this pop- healthcare providers are willing to think
explore the safest ways to do so. social distancing guidelines. ulation. outside the box. We work with medical
• General Hygiene: COVID-19 isn’t • Hotels and Lodging: If families are Most medical credit cards and other providers to successfully extend healthcare
the only disease we can pick up during coming together, staying at a hotel may medical financing solutions rely on credit financing to people with credit scores as
a trip! Maintaining protocols, such as be a safer option. Most hotels have scores as the primary – sometimes the only low as 400 (and, in some cases, people
wearing masks properly over the nose guidelines about sanitizing, masking, – factor in deciding whether to extend who are credit invisible). I say successfully
and mouth in public, social distancing, and social distancing. Unfortunately, someone’s credit. So patients with credit because more than 99% of the time, the
washing hands or using hand sanitizer since these guidelines are not always fol- scores below 640 are usually out of luck if patients we’ve worked with have paid back
frequently, being careful about not lowed, it is up to the travelers to protect they can’t afford to pay out of pocket for their debts within 12 months.
touching the face – will help prevent the themselves. Remember to sanitize, wear medical expenses. Being credit challenged or credit invisi-
transmission of not only the COVID-19 masks, and follow social distancing About 45 million American adults fit ble shouldn’t mean that someone can’t par-
virus, but also other respiratory viruses. guidelines in shared spaces. this definition, according to the Consumer ticipate in the credit economy like anyone
• Routine Immunizations: All adults • COVID-19 Testing: PCR testing is Financial Protection Bureau. Around 26 else, and it certainly shouldn’t deny them
and children must have their routine less likely to provide false negative million of them have no credit record at access to healthcare.
immunizations updated. Every year, the results, but there is generally a longer all. Fifty three million adults lack tradi- Poor credit might mean limited prior
influenza vaccine is updated to provide wait for results. Rapid testing results can tional FICO scores and another 19 million opportunity to demonstrate financial relia-
protection against four strains that are be available within 20 minutes, but the have some kind of credit record, but their bility or even previous mistakes. It’s time
expected to be circulating in the com- possibility of a false negative result is information is either incomplete or out of for the medical establishment to look past
munity. Since the influenza vaccine is higher than with PCR testing. date, which means they don’t have a score. this and see whether patients are financial-
changed every year, annual shots help Remember, we can all be asymptomatic That adds up to almost 1 in 5 of all ly stable, make payments regularly, and
boost immunity over time. carriers of COVID-19. If a family with American adults left with few good have steady income. Their business is no
• Plane Travel: If you are traveling by children travels to a family with older options. less valuable and shouldn’t be overlooked.
plane, vaccines mitigate the risk of virus adults, people with chronic illnesses or That disproportionately affects people of Looking at the patient’s propensity to
transmission. Other factors that may immune-suppression, it is important for color. A 2021 survey of 5,000 adults by pay based on a variety of factors, rather
help prevent transmission are: time of all travelers to be tested. Credit Sesame found that 54% of Black than just their credit score, can bring
travel – flying early morning and off- Unfortunately, many people around Americans and 41% of Hispanic healthcare within reach of many disenfran-
peak hours is safest; organizing carry-on us do not take precautions and choose Americans report credit scores below 640 chised people. We have a moral imperative
bags so that access to necessary items is not to be vaccinated. Whether we are – that’s 10% below the national average – to do that.
easy; choosing seats away from areas traveling or in our daily life, it is impor- or they have no credit score at all, making
where there may be more movement tant for us to protect ourselves from them “credit invisible.” As a consequence, James N. Giordano is the
(such as lavatories); select window seats these people who may be asymptomatic making large purchases like buying a car CEO of Care Cap Plus.
where less air may circulate than aisle carriers. We can protect ourselves, our
seats; wipe all surfaces upon boarding; children and our families by following
avoid using the toilet – but if you have guidelines regarding hand washing or
to, make sure you wipe all surfaces with using hand sanitizers, wearing effective
anti-septic wipes – especially handles, masks properly, social distancing and
taps, seats; be the last to board and dis- sanitizing our space frequently.
embark. If people around you do not
follow FAA guidelines for flying, the Dr. Kunjana Mavunda is a practicing
staff should be notified although mov- travel medicine specialist and a
ing may not be possible. board-certified pediatric pulmonologist
• Masks and Eating: Not all masks are with KIDZ Medical

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