Dental Insurance Is Broken, Say Two out of Three Dentists

Could Michael Moore’s SICKO Have Been about Dental Insurance?

Is dental insurance just as broken as medical insurance? Two out of three dentists think so. In our most recent survey, 70% of dentists felt it’s clear that the current system is not meeting the dental care needs of many Americans. The other 30% think that it’s not fair to compare dental insurance to health insurance, as the two are very different.

Here are some of our dentist’s comments regarding dental insurance:

• “As bad as it is, it is not nearly as bad as the medical profession.” (California periodontist)
• “Benefits haven’t changed in 35 years. Costs sure have.” (California dentist)
• “Dental insurance companies are professional leeches making their CEOs rich by cheating dentists out of a moderately decent living.” (Massachusetts orthodontist)
• “Dental insurance is wonderful. People who would never attend the dentist now have good care.” (New York dentist)
• “Dental plans are typically nothing more than marketing strategies for insurance companies. If only the patient paid regularly to the dentist what he pays to the insurance company!” (Maryland dental office worker)
• “It is a rip-off.” (California dental implantologist)
• “It’s not insurance, it’s prepaid dental care. Use it or lose it, and it’s simply intended to help defray costs of routine care… Who expects to have insurance for oil changes brake replacement or transmission failure?” (Pennsylvania periodontist)
• “It is not uncommon to go over a patient’s yearly maximum on treatment for only ONE tooth!” (Michigan dentist)
• “The main problem with dental insurance today is the assumption by the insurance companies that dentists cannot be trusted.” (Michigan dentist)
• “Dental insurance hasn’t increased its benefits since 1975.” (Florida dentist)
• “Patients do not know the difference between insurance and benefits. This is what leads to confusion.” (California dentist)
• “I cannot believe what little dental actually does reimburse for services!” (Pennsylvania dental hygienist)
• “With miserly reimbursements and annual limits unchanged in twenty years, it is a joke, not insurance. They make FEMA look saintly!!” (New York dentist)
• Read more dentist comments on dental insurance or post your own below!

Read the complete dental insurance survey results…