<![CDATA[Health insurance has, and may always be, a widely debated topic. Some say it’s worthwhile, others say it’s a complete waste of time. If you have ever needed medical care, no matter if it’s a simple routine visit to your family doctor or if you’ve encountered a more serious problem and needed surgery and hospitalization, your insurance company hopefully paid for all of the expenses after your deductible was met. This is something insured patients expect and most often this is how situations usually pan out. However, if you have ever needed dental assistance, even with dental insurance, it’s unlikely that your insurance coverage paid for a fraction of the hefty cost. Why is this?
To put it simply, today’s dentistry is much more costly and insurance companies seem stuck in the pricing from decades ago. In the past, it only cost a few hundred dollars to have a crown put on your tooth and maybe the same amount for a few routine cleanings throughout the year. Because of the affordable prices, dental insurance seemed fair and worth the money. However, nowadays, dentistry has an entirely different face. No longer are the options just to pull it, fill it, or crown it. Instead, dentists now have access to top of the line technologies that are painless, quick, effective, and efficient, and while these new luxuries are just that, they have come with a price tag. Sadly most insurance companies that offer dental insurance today haven’t changed along with the changing technologies and inflation and rarely are these new technologies covered let alone mentioned in your insurance policy. While $1,000 may have been enough decades ago $1,000 in the dollars of yesteryear now equals about $8,000.
Another common problem with insurance companies is that they work through the use of Managed Care, which means hat most companies expect you to choose a dentist solely based on cost, and in today’s situations, most patients will take the cheapest route possible. But, like all things, even dental care, you get what you pay for. In some cases dentists who do work with insurance companies are made to take a 30-40% cut, which means that dental insurance negative impacts everyone involved.
In the end while dental insurance may not seem like much more like a coupon for some patients, Dr. Siegel is dedicated to helping patients of all types through proper diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare. Contact our office today to learn more about the dental services we offer!]]>