The Detroit Free Press has this story today: Patients pile on debt to go under the knife.

A snippet:

Fertility treatments, cosmetic surgery, veterinary care and orthodontia can be approved on credit within minutes, as more medical practices team up with financing companies like GE CareCredit, CapitalOne HealthAdvance and M-Lend.

But experts warn that in a turbulent economic climate, consumers should take care before committing — because interest rates and late fees skyrocket if a payment is missed. …

Michelle Wrathell of Saginaw was soured by the terms of GE CareCredit last year, when her two dachshunds, Casey and Cricket, needed critical surgery within a week of each other. It was a matter of “putting her kids to sleep” or going through with the operations, so she financed $9,000 in veterinary bills, to be paid off over two years.

“The vet’s office dialed the CareCredit line for me, and my credit was approved automatically,” she said. “It saved my dogs’ lives, so I shouldn’t complain, but the interest rate was terrible.”