Posted on 04/17/2014 9:40:37 AM PDT by grundle
For years we have known that the claim under Obamacare, “If you like your plan, you can keep your plan,” was false.
We have also known that the claim under Obamacare, “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor,” was false.
But what we didn’t know was that under Obamacare, “If you need a doctor, you may have to drive more than 100 miles to find a doctor.”
I noticed in my new Anthem monthly premium under Obamacare that I was required to pay a separate monthly charge for dental insurance for my two teenage children (I also have to pay the monthly charge even though I don’t receive the benefits, but that is a different issue). This dental plan was assigned to me and not my particular choice.
Today, it is time to take my kids in for their six-month cleaning, so I checked to see if their dentist is covered under my plan. They are not. OK – there are other dentists. Let’s see about within five miles of my house. Nope – not a single one. Within ten? Nope. Within 20? Nope. Within 50? Nope. Finally, what about within 100 miles? Nope. What is even worse is that the Anthem search feature doesn’t expand past 100 miles. I don’t know if there is any dentist in California that accepts my plan.
Perhaps if I fly to Sacramento or Modesto I can find a dentist that accepts my mandatory-policy kids. I wonder if, after the cost of airfare, a teeth cleaning will still be "affordable."
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Middle of nowhere alright
Los Angeles
Obamacare: “If you like your dentist, you can keep your dentist.”
The guy is paying for this and will end up paying out of pocket, until it is deemed illegal to pay out of pocket
... If you marry your dentist...
Texas has made a whole bunch of dentists very wealthy by paying for dental work through Medicaid. Children who have parents who are employed and, therefore, not eligible have dental work on “as the budget allows” basis.
Wasn’t there something in the Obamacare bill that would fine doctors who took patients directly & got paid directly?
As far as I know (and I discussed this with a dentist-friend a couple of months ago) it is not illegal for a Medicaid recipient to pay cash for dental service, as it is illegal for both parties to tender medical service that way.
This is very similar to my earlier comments on Washington State.
For a while Medicaid was paying (at least in WA) for every pediatric dental procedure to be done in-hospital, under anesthesia, but I guess that is no longer the case.
I didn’t realize how bad it was until last fall when we had a campaign headquarters right next door to a dentist’s office. My grandson is going to need braces so I went over and asked how much they would cost. One of the clerks - they had two other clerks and two hygenists - asked if he would be using some kind of Texas Medicaid insurance. When I responded no, she said they only accept Medicaid.
We counted the number of kids going in there in just one day’s time and there were 44 of them. Just blew me away.
I don’t understand.
Is it illegal for a dentist who accepts Medicaid to also accept money for services?
If someone is on Medicaid and can’t find a nearby dentist, can they pay cash to someone else for care?
Possibly might be a restriction. A friend’s daughter was on Medicaid, and her doctor had ordered an epidural block. The hospital said no, because it was not covered by medicaid.
The relatives were all prepared to chip in and pay cash up front.
The hospital still said no. It was forbidden by Medicaid. So you’d have to go to someone and not tell them that you had Medicaid, and no telling what sort of penalty if they catch you.
But that’s just a guess. I don’t know for sure.
Not so for dental, as far as I know.
That's getting increasingly difficult to do unless you use a false identity. Basically have to go out of the country now, and Medicaid clients can have trouble getting visas.
I’m sure there’s all sorts of laws that you would violate. In fact I am sure that every American violates all kinds of laws on a daily basis without even knowing it.
Just think of all the pages of the US Code, and regulations, and state laws and regulations etc, and the volume that’s being added every day. No citizen could possibly keep up with them all.
Many places medicaid doesn’t cover dental except for children.
They do usually cover adult dental emergencies in the ER.
Washington State just added back routine adult dental coverage in January, after being absent for several years.
Our ER basically gives them pain meds, and tells them to get to a dentist. Sometimes they give them antibiotics if they have an abcess, but they don’t do any actual dental work.
Yeah thats because we’re doctors in the ER not dentists. And lots of our “ toothache” patients are notorious drug seekers.
I hate seeing dental patients in the ER. It’s a waste of the patients time and mine. And I always love the “ I don’t have dental insurance” explanation for why they are in the ER. Usually they have money for their cell phone, smokes, drugs and tattoos , but not for the dentist.
I know that oral surgeons sometimes get called in at our ER for reconstruction after accidents. Not sure about routine dental care; I’ll ask. But I know they had a dental “OR” for a while for kids’ Medicaid work.
I understand where you are coming from. Agree totally. In general the ER here is continually filled with such. People used to avoid the ER if they could, and just wait till their docs could get them in, unless it was a true emergency.
Sometimes the ER now is so full of non - emergencies, that it is hard to get to the ones who truly need to be there.
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