Changing Policy

Today I went to my dentist because I had chipped a couple of teeth. When I came inside the office, things had changed. The receptionist whom we all knew for years was gone. The financial manager I was told no longer works there.

The dentist proceed to check my problems and tells me the options that I have. The dental helper brought me back some financial sheets. They show me how much my insurance company will pay and what I will owe. I am pondering over these sheets wondering why they are showing me what I will owe. Surely they will bill my insurance company and then I will pay the dentist after the insurance pays their part.

Surely not. It seems as though the policy has changed. I ask the dental person, "So in other words I have to pay you up front." Yes, was the answer. They told me that they no longer have accounts anymore! Sheesh! That can run into a huge chunk of money that I don't have for needed treatment. My options were to get two crowns for $800 plus (added bonus, I would pay half and then pay the other half after the crowns were seated)...so I was looking at 400 dollars for a week. Who has THAT kind of money?? Then of course, the other option was to get one crown for half of that. The cheapest option was just get them filled. It would be under $100. Even so, I'm going to have to scrape that up somehow.

I know that this particular office has had many lawsuits against people making their payments and perhaps this is why the policy of paying for dental treatment has changed. It makes me wonder since they are having this change in policy that they will be losing their old patients. I know this is how the dentist in this town runs his business.

So I have checked around and one in Wichita, that I went to before I was married does the same thing. You do have the option to pay with credit card there. The one in Hutchinson when I lived with my parents does it like "normal." I prefer going to a dentist office where they set up a plan on how much to pay each month.

In this day in age people are stretching their budgets because of high gas prices, high credit card finance charges, defaulting on payments, and can no longer save back money for certain procedures. Do you get crowns, composite fillings, or no treatment at all? Health care is getting more expensive by the year. I know that some people (not me) have stiffed the dentist for certain procedures by not paying. But it is a shame that the rest of us who hasn't done this has to pay on the nose for their mistakes.

After my composite fillings are completed, we will be looking for a different dentist. It is too bad as we have had this current dentist for over 15 years. But because of the change in policy, what choice do we have?