ian-mstm

It sounds like you were not thorough enough in your assessment of the coverage you were going to get as a consequence of moving to the US. It sounds like you had unrealistic expectations - which is #1 on my top 10 list of why immigration is a burden.


Why don't you just find a dentist who meets their requirement? The health plan will have a list of dentists in your area.

Ian

dlake02

No at all. At 44 years of age, having lived in 1st world countries all my life, I think I know what is a reasonable expectation for a decent health-care system.

The assumption was that I would be visiting a country with a similar standard of living when it came to the most basic needs (for example, health-care). That has not proven to be the case.

Because there isn't one. After 7 dentist visits and "quotes" (I feel like I'm being treated like a driveway that needs paving rather than as a patient), I find that I will still be out-of-pocket for more than it costs to fly back to the UK and have the work carried out privately in the UK !

Whichever way you cut it, the health-care here stinks. And it is about time that people stopped excusing it and did something about it. In other words, provide a good, basic level of health-care for everyone for the health of the nation. After all, isn't everyone equal in the US ? Or are some more equal than others ?

A lot is talked about in the EU (usually with ridicule and sarcasm) about how bad health-care in the US is, but it isn't until you are living here and experience it first-hand that you realise just how bad it is.

Bob

Means bugger all use when they're only going to shell out for $2.5K worth of work though.

Last time I went to the dentist, there was one chap coming in for a second crown and going to get one a year as insurance would only cover cost one a year and he needed 5...that's a bit mental...don't know why he didn't just go on holiday some where and get the work done, probably not enough holiday time to do it at a guess.

Dental work here is a bigger scam and general medicine and the insurance business. Those lucky enough to live near a decent dental school can get good, cheap or sometimes free care, but wait times, or when they're closed for the holidays don't help people who can't wait around.

ian-mstm

I apologize... I should have been more clear. I believe you had unrealistic expectations of the US health care system. If it's any consolation, I'm older than you (by not just a few years) and have also lived in 1st world countries all my life.


No, they're not... and they've never been.


Don't confuse treatment by the US government (which strives for equality) with treatment by private industry (which strives for inequality). For all its advances, there has never been true equality in the US... and I, for one, am glad of it.

Ian

dlake02

But, but, but. There IS no treatment by the US Government. The choice is that that of Mr Hobson.

So what is the "with liberty and justice for all" that my son's class chants every morning all about then ? Surely justice is all about equality - that no one person is any better, any different from another. If you are a religious person, that is basically what the holy books are all about - before your maker, we are all equal (rough paraphrase of several centuries of religion with apologies).

Far from being a class-less society (as it is often portrayed in Europe), what I'm learning is that the US is as class-ridden as any other society - just driven by different parameters.

Giantaxe

I would argue that the US is actually more of a class-based society than "old" Europe. You only have to look at diminished levels of social mobility in the US to see this. The "American Dream" was founded on the belief that with hard work anyone could achieve anything, i.e. that social mobility was high. But that is becoming increasingly less true: children more frequently end up in the same socio-economic band as their parents. And it's not easy to see why: the cost of healthcare and education are a huge burden to many young Americans, unless they have parents willing to stump up the cost.

nun

US society is highly stratified and it's difficult to move out of the socio-economic class you're born into because of the poorer provision of education and services than in Europe. IMHO the UK is more like the US than the rest of Europe.

The scary thing is that Americans actually believe that they are socially and economically mobile in the face of all the evidence to contrary.

The US healthcare system is not geared to providing healthcare to the population, but to generating income for healthcare and insurance industries. The laissez faire attitude to regulation produces a lot of excellent care with an enormous price tag and a lack of access. I'm not surprised that you weren't expecting this as it is different from other countries. Also that $15k quote for a tooth sounds ridiculous, what did you need? If a tooth cracks and the basic tooth is still ok they'll do a crown, which should cost a couple of thousand at most.

dlake02

Tend to agree - the UK has been moving backwards in terms of social mobility and that is a great shame. Unfortunately, the UK seems to ape the US without realising the limitations.

Initial pain relief - investigation - root canal - crown extension - pillar - crown.

Lowest quote - $7k. Dr All-singing-all-dancing - $15k.

Dentist in the UK, $1300 private, $500 with some NHS treatment.

No brainer.

Jerseygirl

My dentist charges around $1K for a crown...judging by previous posts on here $1K/$1,500 is around the standard rate. My insurance paid half the cost. A month ago my husband had root canal/pillar/crown...I'll ask him how much it cost. I realise costs may vary from area to area/state to state...living in the New York Met area I live in an expensive area for healthcare.

It's been said many times before...you can get excellent medical care in the US if you have excellent healthcare insurance. I think much of your problems are because you don't know how the system operates...I know it's a minefield ie choosing a dentist in network etc.

My family have always received excellent treatment since living here. I can get to see a doctor immediately if necessary...have elective surgery within a few days. I have also had preventative procedures that have discovered potentially serious conditions...this would not have been detected by the NHS until symptoms presented themselves...by then it could well have been too late.

cranston

Our dentist is $1100 for a crown - I know for sure we have had 4 in the last 8 months. Its hard not to think you got ripped off.

meauxna

You do have to wonder.. one can get an implant for $4K.

ian-mstm

Justice is meted out by the government. How you're treated by a private company is entirely different.


Ah... now you've got it!

Don't get me wrong... I'm not trying to be deliberately flippant - but for most Americans (= those born in the US), the health care system is what it is and they've learned to live with it. Does that make it right or fair? No. But the system wasn't designed to be accessed by anyone other than those who were already living here and who already learned to live with it.

I'll wager that most Americans will tell you that their health care system, while obviously flawed on many levels, is among the finest in the world. I suspect they say this because they have never experienced any other health care system in the world. You and I... we've travelled, we've experienced the health care system of another country and when compared to the US system, there's such an obvious deficiency in the US that it's often difficult to imagine that most Americans would still prefer their system to any other.

Until that happens, I doubt you'll see people "out on the streets protesting about the appalling state of health-care in the US."

Ian

Giantaxe

Particularly as many have been brainwashed to believe that the alternative is "dastardly socialized medicine which by definition is worse".

dlake02

So, despite being told daily that this is the "GREATEST" country in the world, how lucky we are to live here, etc, etc, (the full marketing set-and-match), I've been walking around for 3 months with a temporary filling and an ache in my jaw because I now have a condition that my insurance won't cover at ANY price.

Yes, I've been diddled by a very expensive dentist up to now, but that has expired the entire credit in my HSA, so I simply can't afford to have any more work done here. For various, valid medical reasons, I need sedation for dental work, and the costs of that are stellar (and not covered on the insurance...) And (without wishing to boast/gloat/show-off - not my style) I am in a good job on a good salary. How the hell does the average Joe cope ? And does no-one care that their fellow citizens are suffering in ways that they aren't ?

Is it pure Pollyanna syndrome, or is it good old-fashioned apathy that is causing them not to shout louder ?

Jerseygirl

Hubby's canal/pillar/crown was approx $2K...cost to us $400 with insurance.

Our dentist does not try to rip us off...quite the opposite. I enquired about Brite Smile...he said it would be a waste of money as I wouldn't see much difference. Last year he wanted to extract a wisdom tooth...I wanted it crowned. He said it would cost me much less to have it extracted and tried to talk me into extraction...I had it crowned.