I stopped buying dental insurance a few years ago when the a dentist told me that they had a lower price list for patients with no insurance. I also go to foreign countries for affordable and possibly better medical service sometimes.
That sounds sketchy. Factor in cost of travel, lodging. Or how about a need for followup if procedure went bad (we just encountered this for service in US).
Dental insurance is pretty bad I will admit. Almost no plan I have had covered any major issues, or if it did cover it the money won't. Aka your plan pays for $1400 a year and a single tooth extraction is like $3000 or more if you want something to replace it. Basically dental insurance barely covers a years worth of check ups and cleaning, anything actually found wrong cost more. Add to that I had the same insurance, the same dentist for years. One day my Dentist just tells me my insurance doesn't apply there any more and if I still use it I will have to pay more for "out of network coverage"...
I am flipping disgusted and depressed. I was in an accident a few years ago that left me disabled for life. I get disability thru Medicare, but I can't work and money is sooo tight. Now over 50% of my teeth are missing. I'm about 50 years old, and otherwise LOOK average. My back and shoulder injuries are not really visible. I was able to obtain a vial of Lidocaine. I literally put a syringe in my gums and then pull my own teeth, but I have few that are broken off at the gum line and I don't know how to get at them. Of all my problems, this is the worst. I won't talk to people or socialize because of my horrid teeth, and if I have to talk, I always look down Sometimes my remaining teeth will hurt and I look in the mirror in my mouth, and I'll talk to the mirror and I see how bad they look and it makes me cry.
You missed THE key point of dental insurance. If you pay cash (you don’t have insurance) the rates are way higher. Insurance negotiates much better rates. Even if you pay out of pocket.
Not always. There are plenty of times where forgoing any kind of dental plan actually saves the patient a lot of money. This is especially true when a lot work needs to be done.
Correct! I've negotiated the pricing of a root canal for myself a few years back. My son saw the same dentist and had the same procedure done shortly after. His out of pocket was similar to mine after his insurance paid.
Medical insurance in general likes to claim this, yet it seems like it's all a game. The insurers want to feel like they are getting a good deal, so they demand the hospitals give them a 50% discount. The hospitals know this, so they just jack up the "list price" by 2-3 times, so that often, even after the insurance discount, they are still getting more than they would otherwise charge. This is the reason why a tylenol costs 10 cents at the pharmacy, but when given to you in the hospital, it costs $50 ( which they "negotiate" down to $20, and you end up having to pay anywhere from 0-$20 for depending on how you are doing on your deductible ). THE key point of insurance is supposed to be to shed the risk of catastrophe, not to negotiate better princes on every day commodities.
Always found if I paid cash for dental I was paying less. The last two years my dentist has gone up about 25% per year. Now I go to Panama for dentist and it’s about 60% less . Also I'm finding that dental care in Panama is superior. Dentists in Panama do the cleaning themselves.
What about dental coverage that is included in Medicare Advantage plans? Locally, plans advertise dental benefits that are similar to what you described, but as a part of Advantage. These plans may be only slightly more expensive than those without dental coverage. One plan provides two preventive visits per year and up to $1500 for other services. But patients pay this against whatever the dentist wants to charge. Dentists can mark up their normal cost because the insurance company does NOT have a rate schedule and does not monitor the charges. One crown would wipe out the entire amount. This same non-profit insurer offers specific dental plans through employers where there IS a set fee schedule. They have no explanation for why there is none for Advantage plans.
My dental insurance is so cheap that it covers the two cleanings and that automatically pretty much pays for itself. I'm self-employed and pay 100% out of pocket and I'm spending $33 a month which they claim won't go up. It did take a while for coverage to kick in to actually cover anything which is a big key. You can't just go get dental insurance and expect it to do anything mine took 3 years before the majority of coverage kicked in. I got insurance and waited for my wisdom teeth surgery and they ended up covering over $1,400. That easily paid for the 3 years of coverage I waited for. The majority of Americans diets warranty having insurance on their teeth
Watch the video again. Dental insurance is literally NOT insurance from an economic perspective. Using insurance economically needs to be a lose lose for the insurer and insured. A good example is life insurance. If you get a payout from your life policy, yeah you get money (sorta), but you also DIE. In contrast, people often WANT to use their dental "insurance" as much as possible. See how thats different? There is no need to put a "cap" on life insurance policies because nobody wants to use it. When people want to utilize their dental insurance policy it is therefore necessary to limit the amount that you can use it, or there would be no way for the insurance company to stay in business. This was one of the main points of the video.
How you look at dental insurance depends on how good your teeth are. Other than that there's no difference between medical and dental except you thank you have insight into your teeth yet you can have a bicycle accident tomorrow and they all have to be replaced. More people are willing to gamble on dental insuranc, although they don't see it as a gamble, with their teeth because they think they have this insight.
For years my wife and I carried dental insurance, both of us did cleanings twice a year which is a good way to find and take care of problems early on. As time went on the insurance increased in cost and it became cheaper to drop the insurance and pay out of pocket. Fortunately or unfortunately I am now am 100% covered by the VA. My dental includes checkups, and cleanings once a year. Any problems if found, none so far, they are taken care of within a few weeks, emergencies the same day. Dr. Rodriguez and his staff are great.
What an insurance scam. How/Why is are your teeth not part of your body? Are they separate? Why is the insurance? Why do we not just see a dentist at the hospital. ER departments of have to call in an OMS. I even think there's a study about how gum disease is related to heart disease.
I stopped buying dental insurance a few years ago when the a dentist told me that they had a lower price list for patients with no insurance. I also go to foreign countries for affordable and possibly better medical service sometimes.
What are some foreign places you go to?
That sounds sketchy. Factor in cost of travel, lodging. Or how about a need for followup if procedure went bad (we just encountered this for service in US).
Dental insurance is pretty bad I will admit. Almost no plan I have had covered any major issues, or if it did cover it the money won't. Aka your plan pays for $1400 a year and a single tooth extraction is like $3000 or more if you want something to replace it. Basically dental insurance barely covers a years worth of check ups and cleaning, anything actually found wrong cost more. Add to that I had the same insurance, the same dentist for years. One day my Dentist just tells me my insurance doesn't apply there any more and if I still use it I will have to pay more for "out of network coverage"...
THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!!!
I am flipping disgusted and depressed. I was in an accident a few years ago that left me disabled for life. I get disability thru Medicare, but I can't work and money is sooo tight. Now over 50% of my teeth are missing. I'm about 50 years old, and otherwise LOOK average. My back and shoulder injuries are not really visible.
I was able to obtain a vial of Lidocaine. I literally put a syringe in my gums and then pull my own teeth, but I have few that are broken off at the gum line and I don't know how to get at them. Of all my problems, this is the worst. I won't talk to people or socialize because of my horrid teeth, and if I have to talk, I always look down Sometimes my remaining teeth will hurt and I look in the mirror in my mouth, and I'll talk to the mirror and I see how bad they look and it makes me cry.
If you are close enough to Mexico you might think of going there for treatment. Can’t be any worse than what you are already doing yourself.
You missed THE key point of dental insurance. If you pay cash (you don’t have insurance) the rates are way higher. Insurance negotiates much better rates. Even if you pay out of pocket.
Not always. There are plenty of times where forgoing any kind of dental plan actually saves the patient a lot of money. This is especially true when a lot work needs to be done.
Correct! I've negotiated the pricing of a root canal for myself a few years back. My son saw the same dentist and had the same procedure done shortly after. His out of pocket was similar to mine after his insurance paid.
Medical insurance in general likes to claim this, yet it seems like it's all a game. The insurers want to feel like they are getting a good deal, so they demand the hospitals give them a 50% discount. The hospitals know this, so they just jack up the "list price" by 2-3 times, so that often, even after the insurance discount, they are still getting more than they would otherwise charge. This is the reason why a tylenol costs 10 cents at the pharmacy, but when given to you in the hospital, it costs $50 ( which they "negotiate" down to $20, and you end up having to pay anywhere from 0-$20 for depending on how you are doing on your deductible ). THE key point of insurance is supposed to be to shed the risk of catastrophe, not to negotiate better princes on every day commodities.
Not for dental.
Always found if I paid cash for dental I was paying less. The last two years my dentist has gone up about 25% per year. Now I go to Panama for dentist and it’s about 60% less . Also I'm finding that dental care in Panama is superior. Dentists in Panama do the cleaning themselves.
What about dental coverage that is included in Medicare Advantage plans? Locally, plans advertise dental benefits that are similar to what you described, but as a part of Advantage. These plans may be only slightly more expensive than those without dental coverage. One plan provides two preventive visits per year and up to $1500 for other services. But patients pay this against whatever the dentist wants to charge. Dentists can mark up their normal cost because the insurance company does NOT have a rate schedule and does not monitor the charges. One crown would wipe out the entire amount. This same non-profit insurer offers specific dental plans through employers where there IS a set fee schedule. They have no explanation for why there is none for Advantage plans.
My dental insurance is so cheap that it covers the two cleanings and that automatically pretty much pays for itself. I'm self-employed and pay 100% out of pocket and I'm spending $33 a month which they claim won't go up. It did take a while for coverage to kick in to actually cover anything which is a big key. You can't just go get dental insurance and expect it to do anything mine took 3 years before the majority of coverage kicked in. I got insurance and waited for my wisdom teeth surgery and they ended up covering over $1,400. That easily paid for the 3 years of coverage I waited for. The majority of Americans diets warranty having insurance on their teeth
Watch the video again. Dental insurance is literally NOT insurance from an economic perspective. Using insurance economically needs to be a lose lose for the insurer and insured. A good example is life insurance. If you get a payout from your life policy, yeah you get money (sorta), but you also DIE. In contrast, people often WANT to use their dental "insurance" as much as possible. See how thats different? There is no need to put a "cap" on life insurance policies because nobody wants to use it. When people want to utilize their dental insurance policy it is therefore necessary to limit the amount that you can use it, or there would be no way for the insurance company to stay in business. This was one of the main points of the video.
The main point of dental insurance for me is it’s pretax money. Yes otherwise it’s totally ridiculous that it doesn’t cover big costs.
How you look at dental insurance depends on how good your teeth are. Other than that there's no difference between medical and dental except you thank you have insight into your teeth yet you can have a bicycle accident tomorrow and they all have to be replaced. More people are willing to gamble on dental insuranc, although they don't see it as a gamble, with their teeth because they think they have this insight.
For years my wife and I carried dental insurance, both of us did cleanings twice a year which is a good way to find and take care of problems early on. As time went on the insurance increased in cost and it became cheaper to drop the insurance and pay out of pocket. Fortunately or unfortunately I am now am 100% covered by the VA. My dental includes checkups, and cleanings once a year. Any problems if found, none so far, they are taken care of within a few weeks, emergencies the same day. Dr. Rodriguez and his staff are great.
What an insurance scam. How/Why is are your teeth not part of your body? Are they separate? Why is the insurance? Why do we not just see a dentist at the hospital. ER departments of have to call in an OMS. I even think there's a study about how gum disease is related to heart disease.
The dental and medical care in the United States is horrible