Tuesday, November 13, 2007

What's the point of insurance?

Oooh, boy. So the expenses start. First it was the pricey metal adorning Wild's mouth. Still paying on that one.

Now it's six cavities in Unruly's molars that require drilling and filling. Poor kid. I managed to get through most of my life with just one cavity...that I got when I was 30 so she definitely didn't get my cavity-resistant pearly whites. I seriously wonder if her cavity-filled head has anything to do with living on well water her entire life. No flouride in that water source, just pure, unadultered water. We tried giving her the flouride drops to supplement, but after awhile, fighting with the kid every morning to get that nasty tasting stuff down was no longer fun. Does that make me a bad mom? Maybe. I dunno. Fortunately most of the cavities are in her baby teeth, so we'll get them fixed and hopefully it won't affect her permanent teeth.

Now, I'm going to complain. I have dental insurance for the girls and myself. Hubby has his own. I chose the "best" plan offered through my company and figured we'd be covered for this kind of crap.

Oh, how wrong I was. The total bill to get all those little buggers drilled and filled will be almost $900. *gasp!* Insurance covers just over $300 of the bill. Tell me why again I am paying into insurance every month when it doesn't cover much of anything at all? I feel so used by the insurance company right now. What a great big rip-off.

When I had to have three wisdom teeth pulled, the insurance covered all but $50 of the entire thing and I KNOW that cost more than filling a few cavities. I haven't changed insurance companies, so what gives?

11 comments:

Liz said...

Watch the movie "Sicko." It will enrage you.

Heather said...

I seriously need to look into one of those health savings account.

We fork out the nose for sick insurance (because it isn't about health, let's face it) and we're hardly ever sick.

Have you looked into having sealants put on those back teeth? Those back teeth are notorious for cavities.

You're not a bad mama. I grew up on well water and have had few cavities. It's genetics, not the water. Blame your husband instead. heh.

Jim Thomsen said...

Most insurance plans for newspaper folk like you and me are a total confidence game ... they dangle "competitive' premiums while downplaying the fact that the deductibles are likely to be so high that unless you're terminally ill and constantly seeing the doctor, nothing is likely to be paid for by insurance.

Why doesn't your husband's plan cover all of youse?

Jenn said...

Marriage...It's on my Netflix list...but I think Hubby re-arranged some stuff so it may be at the bottom once again. I've heard the same thing from a couple of friends!

Heather...I'm surprised the dentist didn't recommend sealants at her previous visits...he's all about the newest this, that and the other. I will have to mention it to him after the cavities are fixed. Hmmm...I'm good at blaming the Hubs! Ha!

Ninja...Yeah, it sucks royally. I can't be on his insurance because I have my own plan available to me through my job and he can't be on mine for the same reason. A lot of insurance companies have moved to that policy for marrieds. If one of us was out of work or didn't have insurance available, then we could be on the others plan.

Lisa said...

I wouldn't have thought of the well water.

How's Unruly's school year going? Has being in a closed classroom been working? Am eager to hear about that.

Unknown said...

I hate insurance companies. Hate hate hate. They drive me nuts. All of them. They're all little more than a glorified scam -- we pay them money, and they don't give us anything in return.

Nancy R said...

Man, I just lost my comment!

I think most dentists wait for permanent teeth before they put in sealants...I think.

Do you go to a dentist in Bulldog-land?

Kelly said...

I so agree on the insurance thing! GRRR! We pay about $200 a month to be covered for about $500 a year - how does that make sense?

Definately get the sealants on the permanent teeth!

Nell said...

It's impossible, I feel like I'll never be done paying for things, it's always just one thing after another.

Sona said...

I grew up on well water - no flouride - no cavities, either. So I doubt that's it.

And yes, insurance is a rip off unless you have something major happen in your life. Sucks, but...

yoo hoo said...

I hate insurance as well, so now what do we do about it? Why should insurance be tied to our jobs. That's like tying a internet fee to the websites we visit. It's all about the money.