I'm stupid when it comes to insurance. Through my job I have BCBS health ins and I just got Dental. I am used to paying a co-pay with the Health Ins. I had some dental work done and asked if there was a co-pay to be settled while i was there. They said oh you mean the deductable. I paid that just wanting to take care of SOMETHING before I left. What is a deductable compared to a Co-pay?
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The short answer is: a copay is a set dollar amount that you pay at each visit. It is deducted from what the doctor gets paid. The deductible is an amount that you have to pay before the insurance pays anything. For example: If a doctor bills $85 for a simple sick visit, the insurance is contracted to pay $55.17 for that visit. (There's a negotiated rate for every participating doctor for every insurance - they have to take this payment, they can not expect anything extra.) If you have a $20 copay, the insurance is going to send the doctor a check for $35.17 - it's expected that your $20 copay will make up the rest of the $55.17. Now, for that same visit, if you have a deductible, you will be expected to pay the full $55.17, and the insurance will inform the doctor in writing that you are to be billed for and pay that amount. You will do something like that every time you see the doctor until your deductible is met. (And deductibles range from $50 to $5000 a year.) Now, if you have "co-insurance" - you'd be paying a percentage of the visit. (Of the $55.17, if your co-insurance is 15%, you pay $8.28, the insurance pays the rest.) Because insurance company contracted rates are WAY cheaper than cash prices, I advise people with deductibles and co-insurance to let their insurance be billed FIRST, because the insurance will figure out how much the patient owes. If they have a copay, providers are obligated to take that at the time of service.
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Friday, May 20, 2011
My boyfriend needs to have extensive dental work done.?
He has health insurance at his job, however, it is not going to be paying for a lot of what he needs to have done. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions as to were I can look or who I can call to see if I can get him any extra help or something to make this happen for him?
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Yeah right. Go to a Dental School blah blah blah. That's what a reluctant male patient needs a 3 hour treatment and planning session. or a three hour filling, from a shaky student. Or better yet go to a discount dentist. One that wil use the cheapest lab in the U.S. or cut corners on infection control. Men that have a lot of dental work to be done are afraid of two things. The Dentist and The Money. 1. Find a dentist he likes, someone that can finish in a reasonable amount of time, that will present a thoughtout treatment plan and that will give you a discount if you pay up front, etc. (make sure you take possible extra work into account) 2. Finance the whole treatment plan, if it is under $5000 then there may be some interest free credit services available like Care Credit or others. If it si over then extend it out to 4 years of payments. hey people pay stupid money to trick out a car and pose. Why not work on the Grill you carry with you your whole life. This does two things it unifies his dental experience into one task he must accomplish. Secondly it breaks up the large amount into a smaller mountly amount. Basic Male Dental Excuse Psychology. If that doesn't let him know you don't want him to be dealing with bad teeth for his whole life. God luck
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Yeah right. Go to a Dental School blah blah blah. That's what a reluctant male patient needs a 3 hour treatment and planning session. or a three hour filling, from a shaky student. Or better yet go to a discount dentist. One that wil use the cheapest lab in the U.S. or cut corners on infection control. Men that have a lot of dental work to be done are afraid of two things. The Dentist and The Money. 1. Find a dentist he likes, someone that can finish in a reasonable amount of time, that will present a thoughtout treatment plan and that will give you a discount if you pay up front, etc. (make sure you take possible extra work into account) 2. Finance the whole treatment plan, if it is under $5000 then there may be some interest free credit services available like Care Credit or others. If it si over then extend it out to 4 years of payments. hey people pay stupid money to trick out a car and pose. Why not work on the Grill you carry with you your whole life. This does two things it unifies his dental experience into one task he must accomplish. Secondly it breaks up the large amount into a smaller mountly amount. Basic Male Dental Excuse Psychology. If that doesn't let him know you don't want him to be dealing with bad teeth for his whole life. God luck
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Does anyone know how to get help with Dental Cost?
I wanting to know if anyone has any information on how to get help for dental cost, the portion that your insurance has not covered? My husband has a lot of work that needs to be done and its going to cost over $3000 and we do not have that money, and all you know that Dental Places want their money up front right away. We already tried applying for financing such as Care Credit and did not qualify, so now we are looking at other ways to help us pay for this work, cause he really needs it done. So any information that anyone has would be very much helpful. Thank you!
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couple of low cost suggestions: 1) dental school: i know it seems scary, but students in the clinic have been 'practicing' on mannequins for 2-3 years prior, under the supervision of many highly qualified area dentists, and nothing is done without at least two other people checking. it does take some time but you can get a crown for $500 versus $1000+ in private practice. 2) community health centers: again cheap option, about 25% off from private practice. foreign trained dentists usually but all qualified and licensed. 3) state aid insurance like medicaid: some dentists take it and you can get care for 50% off or just a copay. good luck ttg
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couple of low cost suggestions: 1) dental school: i know it seems scary, but students in the clinic have been 'practicing' on mannequins for 2-3 years prior, under the supervision of many highly qualified area dentists, and nothing is done without at least two other people checking. it does take some time but you can get a crown for $500 versus $1000+ in private practice. 2) community health centers: again cheap option, about 25% off from private practice. foreign trained dentists usually but all qualified and licensed. 3) state aid insurance like medicaid: some dentists take it and you can get care for 50% off or just a copay. good luck ttg
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What is the difference between HMO and PPO?
I'm new to this insurance thing and I'm about to get dental but I need to know what is the difference? Which one would be best for a person that doesn't want to spend too much money out of pocket. I need to get my wisdom teeth taken out. I want good coverage.
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PPO is generally the better way to go. You have more freedom in choosing physicans, fewer problems with pre-existing conditions, and pre-authorizations. However, the premiums are usually higher. HMOs generally require you have a Primary Care Physican (PCP). You have to go to that physician no matter what your problem is and he/she has to recommend you see a specialist. You can't just go see an ear, nose, & throat specialist unless your PCP approves it. Keep in mind this is not set in stone. All insurances are different and all policies are different. READ through the policy carefully before you buy it.
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PPO is generally the better way to go. You have more freedom in choosing physicans, fewer problems with pre-existing conditions, and pre-authorizations. However, the premiums are usually higher. HMOs generally require you have a Primary Care Physican (PCP). You have to go to that physician no matter what your problem is and he/she has to recommend you see a specialist. You can't just go see an ear, nose, & throat specialist unless your PCP approves it. Keep in mind this is not set in stone. All insurances are different and all policies are different. READ through the policy carefully before you buy it.
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Can you claim medical expenses and school expenses on your taxes?
I had a wisdom tooth pulled last your that I did pay out of pocket no insurance cost about $1200, Also paid to take a dental assistant program which cost $1200. Would I be able to claim these expenses when i file? I already claim my son and last year I got back about 4k. So would it help me get back a little more if I added on the 1200 medical expense and 1200 school expense?
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You don't state your income, but if it's less than $15,000 these won't make a difference. You already get $8000 as head of household, so $1200 of itemized deductions won't do better than that. If you don't owe income tax, an education credit can't do better than zero....
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You don't state your income, but if it's less than $15,000 these won't make a difference. You already get $8000 as head of household, so $1200 of itemized deductions won't do better than that. If you don't owe income tax, an education credit can't do better than zero....
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Can the court make me disenroll my children from my insurance benefits?
I've had my children enrolled under my insurance plans under my employer (Dental, medical, vision,etc). My soon-to-be ex has also enrolled them under her employer. In previous conversations, she has admitted to me that the judge will order me to terminate my benefits for them under my employer, since she has physical custody and I will have to pay her more than what I've been paying for child-care. There is no order for this money I send her. I send it because it's my obligation.
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Get a lawyer so you can get the support on paper and she can not say you are not paying. The court will not make you take them off.
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Get a lawyer so you can get the support on paper and she can not say you are not paying. The court will not make you take them off.
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Looking for health Insurance?
I'm looking for affordable health insurance with good coverage and options for doctors. A PPO is okay but I'm looking for quality AND affordability. Dental and vision would be a great plus. Can anybody out there help me!?!
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Ultimately, you are the one who determines the affordability of your health insurance plan by deciding how much you will participate in sharing the cost of your health care with your insurance company. You decide what the right balance is between affordability and policy benefits. If you choose a plan that covers everything i.e. doctors office visits, prescription drugs, preventative health benefits, maternity coverage as well as low deductibles, low co-pays and optional vision and dental benefits your monthly premiums will be significant. On the other hand if you are young, presumably healthy and probably use the health care system sparingly you could consider a plan that covers only the major health catastrophe. If that is too scary consider a plan with a higher in hospital deductible, higher co-pays for doctor's office visits and perhaps not cover prescription drugs.. Either of these approaches will result in a lower monthly premium. You then can use the monthly premium savings to pay for the occasional doctor visit or prescription and still come out ahead. You need a trusted adviser to help you through the process of purchasing health insurance so that you understand what you are purchasing. That adviser can answer questions as to what is and is not covered by the policy, explain deductibles and co-pays and show you the hospitals and doctors that participate in the network. Check with the agent that writes your home or auto insurance he/she can provide you a health insurance proposal that takes into account your budget and health situation. Some are going to suggest you go to their web site so that they can earn a few pennies on a "click through". Some may suggest going on line to get a quote but you probably already know that there is much more to a good health insurance policy than price. Use the Internet to educate yourself but use an agent to purchase the coverage.
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Ultimately, you are the one who determines the affordability of your health insurance plan by deciding how much you will participate in sharing the cost of your health care with your insurance company. You decide what the right balance is between affordability and policy benefits. If you choose a plan that covers everything i.e. doctors office visits, prescription drugs, preventative health benefits, maternity coverage as well as low deductibles, low co-pays and optional vision and dental benefits your monthly premiums will be significant. On the other hand if you are young, presumably healthy and probably use the health care system sparingly you could consider a plan that covers only the major health catastrophe. If that is too scary consider a plan with a higher in hospital deductible, higher co-pays for doctor's office visits and perhaps not cover prescription drugs.. Either of these approaches will result in a lower monthly premium. You then can use the monthly premium savings to pay for the occasional doctor visit or prescription and still come out ahead. You need a trusted adviser to help you through the process of purchasing health insurance so that you understand what you are purchasing. That adviser can answer questions as to what is and is not covered by the policy, explain deductibles and co-pays and show you the hospitals and doctors that participate in the network. Check with the agent that writes your home or auto insurance he/she can provide you a health insurance proposal that takes into account your budget and health situation. Some are going to suggest you go to their web site so that they can earn a few pennies on a "click through". Some may suggest going on line to get a quote but you probably already know that there is much more to a good health insurance policy than price. Use the Internet to educate yourself but use an agent to purchase the coverage.
Source
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