Private Equity-owned dental practices are a scam, too. {{ LOL }}
I’ve been very lucky to get my dental work done at the OHSU Dental School for the past 20 years. It’s about half what a private dentist in the area would charge and they’re not trying to up-sell me on procedures I don’t need.
intercst
Routine medical expenses are not a risk but a reality
Routine medical expenses should not be paid via insurance.
Why feed the insurance industry needlessly?
Major medical is the ticket, insure what you can’t afford.
The Captain
Unfortunately this isn’t legal anymore in the USA. There used to be major medical policies that would cover “big” things that cost a lot, like cancer, heart attack, etc. The policy cost a few hundred bucks a month, but you had to pay the first $10k or $20k of expenses before it would kick in. Those policies don’t exist anymore after being outlawed by the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Two years ago, for a couple of months, we needed a high deductible family policy due to COBRA ending ($3000/month for decent coverage) and not having any other alternative (and too risky to go bare, even for a month). We searched across the whole gamut of options, and the only high deductible policy we could get was a $12,000 family max out of pocket that cost us $3900/month. What a ripoff! We never made a single claim against that policy.
My Medicare Advantage from United Healthcare includes dental as part of the program. So far everything has been covered with no copays. That includes cleaning, fillings. So far have not had major dental as root canal or crown w Medicare. Dental insurance usually has time limits covering up a max of say $2K per year after a waiting period.
Today with much emphasis on implants and capped teeth there could be some limitation. Usually the basics are covered by insurance.
Yep.
The last year before Obamacare started, my premium for a health insurance policy with a $5,000 drug deductible and $3,000 for medical hit almost $10,000/year. I decided to go uninsured for that year and then started Obamacare in 2014.
intercst
With unlimited price gouging in the US, even a routine doctor visit can become “major medical” if a Private Equity operator finds a way to cheat you.
That’s what makes America an “exceptional nation”. {{ LOL }}
intercst
That was not an economic choice but a political grab.
The Captain
I’m seeing a lot of mischaracterization of the ACA. Some policies were outlawed sure, they were pretty crappy. Low annual dollar limits, lifetime limits, pre-existing clause conditions, etc. Those were outlawed. Good riddance. The biggest mistake of the ACA was trying to bow to the desires of the insurance industry in an attempt to get buy-in. We’d be better off with Medicare for All.
The biggest problem w ACA is preexisting conditions. You can wait til you are diagnosed to buy coverage. Those w major anticipated expenses are likely to buy. That drives up cost for all.
Benefits should be limited for say three years to encourage people to buy insurance while they are well.
Success requires that all buy insurance. Penalty for failure to insure was a good idea. But Congress backed out.
Getting the young healthy to care insurance is important to make the numbers work. Preexisting conditions makes it costly for all. As a result the young often decide not to insure.
Not a bad plan if fully implemented but some do not want it to succeed.
You can only buy insurance during the open enrollment period (with some exceptions).
Yep, so you can enroll any time for 3 months of the year. That is plenty to allow abuse of the system.