$4500 in dental bills?

In an article on CNN it was stated that 7 in 10 Americans think the health care system needs major restructuring. No shit. And I mean that as, no shit it needs restructuring.

I am employed, at least for the time being, and have to pay into the system for medical and dental insurance for me and my family. Any given trip can turn our whole financial status into a juggling act. Example, my youngest daughter had some issues and needed to get blood work. The doctor decided that, not me. So we take her to get blood work and then we get a bill for $400. Ouch, WTF? What am I paying for health insurance for, if not to cover things the doctor orders? To add insult to injury, the results were borderline, so they order another batch. You know the people ordering another round of tests aren’t paying for the tests.

I go to the dentist. Studies have shown that dental infections actually have huge impact on overall health. I personally know two people who were sickly, and had all their teeth removed, got dentures and started enjoying a vastly improved state of well being. So dental care is important. As if you didn’t already know that.

I go to the dentist and get an exam, and afterwords they take me into a back room where I meet with a financial consultant to figure out how to pay for around $4,500 worth of repairs and stuff. $4500 dollars? And my teeth aren’t in bad shape. What’s wrong with that picture? They offer multi-year financing packages. Mind you that $4500 isn’t for my family, it’s just for me.

I had a co-pay there plus an up-front fee, totally around $200. That was for my exam. Then they sent a bill for another $100. I did mention I have dental insurance, right? I pay for a premium plan, which covers almost nothing whatsoever.

The point is, the system is broken. I can’t really afford to go to the dentist and the extended doctor bills prevent any sort of savings, or drain any savings I may have had. The punch line is that I have health insurance. What the hell do all the people do who are unemployed, employed part time, disability or whatever do?

There is debate if we as a country need to change things. I see people holding signs at right wing rallys saying “keep your change.” Well, for 8 years the Republicans didn’t do a whole lot to address all this. Now the shit hits the fan as the new President tries to do something to take care of this. People say we can’t afford it, but we don’t have an option. We pay for healthcare through insurance premiums and taxes anyway, we need to define it, and make it so everyone can afford to get the care they need.

Here’s the link to the article, if you’re interested.