Hospitals in and around the Charlotte area are offering multiyear, no-interest payment plans to help patients with their bills. The Charlotte Observer reports Novant Health, which operates four hospitals in Mecklenburg County, started offering interest-free payment plans for patients with outstanding bills in 2013. Carolinas HealthCare, which had offered some interest-free plans for at least 10 years, has expanded those options. In the past year, Stephen Burr, senior vice president of patient financial services for Carolinas HealthCare, said the system's financial counselors noticed that more people are "really having trouble paying their bills."
