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Post by robspace on Sept 26, 2012 12:00:52 GMT 9.5
Right now, the new medical program we have coming in, is the subject of debates. The Republicans hate it, because it will cost the insurance companies and force them to keep the cost down. It's about time.
So how does it work in Australia? Do citizens get a card they show at any doctor and does it also give you free dental? Right now, I have $90.00 a month deducted from my monthly Social Security check to pay for Medicare. Problem is, there's no dental plan with Medicare. So, if I flew there and borrowed someones card can I get some new teeth free?! lol The cost for a dentist here is so expensive. Any dental work costs a fortune. Some people, like my daughter, who live in Southern California, actually cross the border into Mexico to get dental work done. The prices there are a fraction of the US prices, and the work is good. (usually) Canada is expensive. I was considering Mexico, as I could visit my pregnant daughter while there in San Diego. The Mexican dental clinics pick you up at the airport in San Diego and drive you across, and take you to a hotel, where you stay for a few days getting the work done. See, this is what some people here have to go through to get alot of dental work done. It's either that or go into debt for the rest of your life. I hope the new Obamacare will include dental.
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Post by Epi on Sept 27, 2012 5:39:32 GMT 9.5
Dental work is normally NOT covered under Medicare, although there are now a couple of exceptions to this. The main option for Dental Treatment in Australia are the Private Dentists In South Australia the School Dental Service provides dental care, free of charge for all children up to the end of Primary School. This includes children who are not yet old enough to start school (pre-school children). Secondary school students can also use the School Dental Service. Some secondary school students need to pay a small fee for their dental care. A new system started in 2008 where children aged 12 years and over receive an Annual Voucher, to a maximum of $ , for a single Dental Check up/Treatment at any Dentist. The Medicare Teen Dental Plan voucher is valid for up to $ worth of treatment, and can be used at any time up to 31st December 2012 There are however some Government based Dental Facilities, eg: Dental Teaching Hospitals that are available for certain sections of the population, eg those holding Health Care Cards. Most of the Insurance companies will cover Dental treatment, but levels of cover provided are IMO quite low. For example it cost me $6,000 for braces etc for my son and the return from private cover was $1,800.
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Post by robspace on Sept 27, 2012 6:55:15 GMT 9.5
Wow, I was thinking if you have universal healthcare, it would include dental. I wonder if they have it in Canada or England?
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Post by thelion on Sept 27, 2012 7:28:21 GMT 9.5
There is a scheme for dental cover if you have a chronic illness! Dont hold your breath trying to get into it though!
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Post by twiddlebug on Sept 27, 2012 8:02:26 GMT 9.5
I did some research. THe Affordable Care Act may help children get dental care, but it does not provide for it for adults.
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Post by robspace on Sept 28, 2012 9:30:52 GMT 9.5
Well, that sucks. Why they don't include it with Medicare was a real screwup. How do they expect retired people like me, living on Social Security to afford such huge dental costs? We pay into Social Security and Medicare all our working lives, so why did they not include dental? Makes no sense.
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Post by Crystal Fox on Sept 29, 2012 13:45:12 GMT 9.5
@ Epi, school dental isn't free in South Australia anymore. It is now $40 a year. I need to have my wisdom teeth removed but I need actual surgery for it and it is going to cost me over $1000 and I got a good price because dental surgeons by law have to take in a certain amount of public patients otherwise it would have cost me a LOT more. Most dentists are private except the government ones and you HAVE to have a health care card for them. I was going public and was on a waiting list for surgery but then I lost my card and I was cancelled from the waiting list. There was a survey a while back and over half the population hadn't been to the dentist for at least 10 years and the two main reasons are cost and also fear.
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Post by parkerdivine on Sept 29, 2012 15:20:55 GMT 9.5
Well, that sucks. Why they don't include it with Medicare was a real screwup. How do they expect retired people like me, living on Social Security to afford such huge dental costs? We pay into Social Security and Medicare all our working lives, so why did they not include dental? Makes no sense. Welcome to for profit health care....
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Post by Epi on Sept 29, 2012 16:23:29 GMT 9.5
@ Crystal Fox - what do you mean by lost your card? Does that mean your family taxable income is too high for you to have a health card?
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Post by robspace on Sept 29, 2012 17:17:12 GMT 9.5
Crystal-so, I'm not really understanding the system there. You have free medical or low cost, but no deals on the dental? This sounds like a big problem everywhere. How can these dental people expect the adverage person to afford their rates? Their making good dental health into a luxury item, for the rich only. Even when I was working, I had the company insurance plan, but the dental part covered nothing really. What a racket!
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Post by Willow on Sept 30, 2012 9:29:04 GMT 9.5
So true Rob and very short sighted of all governments because good dental health is intrinsically linked t good general health and in particular bad dental health is linked to coronary artery disease
There has been discussion about adding a national dental health plan, I would be in favour. We have private health cover which includes dental but like Epi when it came to getting braces for BG I had to pay about half of the $4000 ish cost (some years ago)
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Post by Crystal Fox on Oct 3, 2012 9:30:12 GMT 9.5
Epi, yes that is why we lost it. But the stupid thing is James was only earning $500 just above the taxable income to be able to receive the health care card. Now it is different, we never know what the income is going to be, so we over estimate just in case. But after we get our tax done it works out we earn under the threshold and would be able to get a health care card. But we just don't want to estimate close to that in case James has a good year and earns more than we estimate. And we would end up having to owe centrelink money. So we would rather lose out on the health care than have to pay back money. @rob, it is ridiculous, but it's correct. You can get reductions if you have private health insurance, but it isn't always much. When I found out I needed surgery for my teeth I rang around health insurance companies to find out how much of a reduction I would get. Well it turned out I would pay almost the same as I would have without insurance. It was going to cost me $70 a week for the insurance I needed and I had to pay that for 6 months before I could even get covered for it and after that they would only knock off $600. But I would be paying more than that in the 6 months I would be waiting for the coverage. (the insurance cost so much coz it was classed as major dental and because I needed hospital cover for it) It is disgusting how they take advantage of people like that.
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Post by Epi on Oct 3, 2012 9:51:19 GMT 9.5
Does the Government regulate the dental cover insurance companies can provide?
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Post by Crystal Fox on Oct 14, 2012 15:40:00 GMT 9.5
I'm not sure.
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Post by Willow on Oct 14, 2012 18:35:28 GMT 9.5
Does the Government regulate the dental cover insurance companies can provide? hmm very good question ......
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