Wellness

[SilleeMee]

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@Lindsays Grandma wrote:

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@SilleeMee wrote:

I'm retired, 62yo and I just found out that both my dental and health plans will no longer be available next year because of recent changes to ACA where I buy both types of insurance from an exchange. I also will be losing the subsidy which helps pay for a large portion of my premiums so that I could afford the insurance. Looks like now I will be without either.  I can't tell you how upsetting today's news has made me. Sorry for the rant.

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Don't apologize, you have reason to be upset and rant all you want to.  I don't know what and who ACA is and why they are no longer available and I wish you all the best in acquiring reasonable and affordable coverage.

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ACA is the abbreviation for The Affordable Care Act, also referred to as Obamacare. @Lindsays Grandma

[OfCourse]

@SilleeMee  Your worst expectations might not come to pass.  I think the threat to end payments is a way to get Congress to act to improve the system.  I can't imagine them pulling the subisies.  A judge has ruled that Congress, not an executive order, is necessary to authorize this.  Hopefully they'll work something out and Congress will take action.

[Shelbelle]

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@Lindsays Grandma wrote:

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@Shelbelle wrote:

The plan my DH has from Met Life is about $375 per year.

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So that breaks down to about $31.25 a month.  That is very reasonable and affordable as long as the plan covers a good portion of the charges.

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So far so good. He was able to have the 6 month waiting period to have work done waived, since he was able to prove he had insurance from his previous plan within the 6 mos. prior. There are 3 plans to choose from, his is the middle plan which covers 70% of work done, one is 60%, one is 80%. Checkups are covered 100%, 2 per year. Those alone would be at least $300 per year from most dentists.

[Mary Bailey]

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@Lindsays Grandma wrote:

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@Mary Bailey wrote:

Delta Dental has coverage associated with AARP  (through Delta Dental PA)  or in some states you can get Delta's Individual plan or a Delta Dental Discount Plan.  Also try TruAssure.

Good advise to check waiting periods and exclusions.  See if deductible applies to all services or waived on any service. Also check frequencies for exams, cleanings and x-rays.

No matter what insurance/discount plan you take, always ask if they "participate" don't say "do you take ....?"  Even non-participating will take the payment from the insurance company. If they don't participate, you don't get a discount.

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Thank you so much, very informative.  I am taking notes and will definitely remember to use the word "participate"...

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I forgot to mention Delta has PPO and Premiere networks. PPO has a bigger discount than Premiere. First choice would always be a PPO provider. If the dentist is in both networks you would get the PPO discount.

On some plans if you see a Premiere provider you have to pay the difference between PPO and Premiere in addition to your percentage. 

[Lindsays Grandma]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

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@Lindsays Grandma wrote:

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@SilleeMee wrote:

I'm retired, 62yo and I just found out that both my dental and health plans will no longer be available next year because of recent changes to ACA where I buy both types of insurance from an exchange. I also will be losing the subsidy which helps pay for a large portion of my premiums so that I could afford the insurance. Looks like now I will be without either.  I can't tell you how upsetting today's news has made me. Sorry for the rant.

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Don't apologize, you have reason to be upset and rant all you want to.  I don't know what and who ACA is and why they are no longer available and I wish you all the best in acquiring reasonable and affordable coverage.

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ACA is the abbreviation for The Affordable Care Act, also referred to as Obamacare. @Lindsays Grandma

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I had a feeling that was what it meant but was hoping I was wrong.  It is starting already?

[Tinkrbl44]

Waiting periods shouldn't be a surprise to anyone .... NO dental plan is going to reward bad behavior.  If someone signs up and needs thousands of $$$ worth of work done due to neglect, no dental plan should be expected tp just pay the whole thing from day one.   

I have a new Blue Shield plan I am now just using for the first time, so I'm not ready to rate it yet.   

For several years I had a high level Aflac dental plan and it was wonderful.  No dentist restrictions or preauthorizations or any of that.  You just faxed in your dental bill (even if it hadn't been paid yet) and they'd send you the money your policy covered for that service.  I'm beginning to think I should have kept that policy.