Playing sports enthusiastically—whether a contact sport like football or a non-contact sport like baseball—eventually results in an injury-related visits to the emergency room. Some injuries are serious enough to need physical therapy. For a professional athlete, this isn’t a big problem. Yes, they miss a little training and have to be careful when warming up, but they don’t have to worry about one major aspect of physical therapy: the cost. Enthusiastic amateurs, however, are not so lucky.

Image from Flickr

The Problem

The co-pay for a physical therapy session is usually the same as that of a regular doctor’s visit. At first, this sounds perfectly reasonable. After all, isn’t the physical therapist a doctor? Why shouldn’t it cost the same?

The problem, of course, is that physical therapy sessions occur far more often than traditional doctor’s visits—often as many as three times per week—which can become enormously expensive. For example, if you had a co-pay of $50 that would be $150 per week for the next four to six weeks. In other words, it would be potentially $900 for your full treatment.

States’ Proposed Solution

Fortunately, there is some legislation in the works to help address this issue—at least at the state level. In New York, for example, a piece of proposed legislation would cap the co-pay at 20 percent of the cost of care. Although 20 percent of care sounds like it would still be a lot of money, it would actually cut patient costs to about $10 per session. This would mean, sticking with the previous example, that instead of $900, you would pay only $120.

Short-term Solution

While the proposed legislation in New York would undoubtedly be helpful, it hasn’t passed yet, and even if it did, it wouldn’t help people living in other states. Therefore, when the condition represents a medical emergency, another viable option is considered—a short-term loan from lending companies online.

If you are living paycheck to paycheck and have no means for medical contingencies, loans from reputable online companies, such as www.greatplainslending.com, are a great option for the unexpected, emergency expenses. These short-term loans are easy, fast, and can get you the money you need to tide you over a financial difficulty.

Repayment terms are flexible and allow time for recovery and return to work.

The Take Away

First, if your doctor prescribes physical therapy, check to see what you will be required to pay (your full co-pay or a percentage). Second, don’t panic when you hear the answer. Know that you have options available to you to get the help you urgently need.

Have you obtained a loan to pay for your physical therapy sessions? Share your experience in the comments box.