XRP Healthcare is launching what it calls the first healthcare platform to use the XRP ledger.

Scheduled to debut in the second quarter of the year, the platform will use the company’s native token XRPH, allowing users to purchase conventional and alternative medicines, XRP Healthcare (XRPH) said in a press release on Thursday (19 December). January).

In addition to the launch, the company also announced a partnership with ScriptCo, a membership-based pharmacy.

“There are millions of Americans struggling to pay the bills, not to mention healthcare, so when I heard about ScriptCo, it was a no-brainer.[brainer]XRPH founder Kain Roomes said in the statement.

“People having access to prescriptions at wholesale prices are a great fit for our model, and I’m glad XRPH is playing a role in expanding ScriptCo’s reach.”

The company says it wants to create fast payments between healthcare market participants while providing transparency to pharmaceutical transactions to combat the “billion-dollar counterfeit drug industry.”

PYMNTS has repeatedly pointed out the difficulty consumers face in paying for health care. There is a growing demand for healthcare payment plans, driven by Generation Z, millennials, and low-income patients.

“Despite relatively affordable health insurance options in the US, consumers often face overwhelming and sometimes unexpected out-of-pocket costs,” PYMNTS wrote earlier this month. “For those who are unwilling or unable to pay a full bill at the time of service, payment plans can be a (sometimes literal) lifesaver.”

Research by PYMNTS shows that age and financial stability are key predictors of a patient choosing a payment plan, with people living paycheck to paycheck and younger generations most likely to need to finance expenses health related.

There is also a correlation between surprise bills and the need for payment plans, a sign that many patients don’t have room in their budgets for unexpected expenses.

There has also been a recent evolution in healthcare payment plans, such as healthcare payment platform Paytient’s recent announcement that it is launching a new product, the Health Payment Account (HPA), which offers interest-free payment for health care expenses using a dedicated Visa. card and the Paytient mobile app.

“There is a trillion dollar unfunded care challenge in the US,” Paytient co-founder and CEO Brian Whorley said in an interview with PYMNTS, noting that the company’s HPA product is designed specifically to help consumers manage these costs.

“Employers, health insurers, they are aware, they are thoughtful, they are aware that paying for care is often the most painful part of the health care experience,” he said, adding that the answer is to use more and more interest free family credit and employer sponsorship “into something that is very planned, manageable, [and] affordable for you and your family.”

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