OK, so hubby's teeth are...bad. He has quite a few cavities from years of drinking way too much pop and bad genetics. So he went in with a coupon to a dentist for a free exam, x-rays, etc., and an estimate on how much it would cost to fix his teeth... $11,000+
(<-- Smilie Understatement!)
So my coworker tells me that it's not terribly expensive to add him to my dental plan - about $85/month. Not bad considering it's over $900/month to add him to my medical insurance, which isn't good insurance to begin with. But she said the dental plan is pretty good. OK, so I'm looking into it, and it's looking promising - routine care covered 100%, most repair work (root canals, fillings, stuff like that) is covered 80%, big stuff (dentures, crowns, bridges) covered 50%. Not bad! Until I get to the part where it says that the maximum allowed benefit per calendar year is $1500. Huh? But...but....the premium is $1050/year. How is this saving me money? OK, yes, $500 is $500, but over the course of a year? And when he needs that much work done? It would take 10 years! I'm going to call them and verify that they will really only cover $500 more than I pay into it (to me, that's called a scam!).
Seriously - how are us working stiffs supposed to actually get decent dental care when there apparently are NO decent insurance options?!?!
So my coworker tells me that it's not terribly expensive to add him to my dental plan - about $85/month. Not bad considering it's over $900/month to add him to my medical insurance, which isn't good insurance to begin with. But she said the dental plan is pretty good. OK, so I'm looking into it, and it's looking promising - routine care covered 100%, most repair work (root canals, fillings, stuff like that) is covered 80%, big stuff (dentures, crowns, bridges) covered 50%. Not bad! Until I get to the part where it says that the maximum allowed benefit per calendar year is $1500. Huh? But...but....the premium is $1050/year. How is this saving me money? OK, yes, $500 is $500, but over the course of a year? And when he needs that much work done? It would take 10 years! I'm going to call them and verify that they will really only cover $500 more than I pay into it (to me, that's called a scam!).
Seriously - how are us working stiffs supposed to actually get decent dental care when there apparently are NO decent insurance options?!?!