I'm sorry, I can't hear you because I am making too much money to care.
People only call me for dental insurance when they need work done. In the industry this is called adverse selection. When I inform people that most plans have a 6 month waiting period for major dental work their interest evaporates.
The number one question I get from seniors in Medicare is if there are plans that have hearing and hearing aid benefits. Neither Medicare, individual or group plans have any built-in benefit for dental, vision or hearing.
But you don’t have to be 65 to need a hearing aid. I am 48 and have had hearing loss in one ear for over 5 years. Should I get a hearing aid? Yes. Have I? No. Why Not? That’s for another blog post. Although, I will say that if my health insurance had some sort of hearing aid benefit, I would be more seriously inclined to be fitted for a hearing aid.
I believe it would be wise for the insurance companies to offer plans that included dental, vision and hearing benefits. Oral health has now been linked to heart disease and diabetes. Vision exams can also detect diabetes and other diseases. As we age, good vision and hearing improves our quality life and productivity and performance at work.
For the normal person, we refrain from taking action when it will cost us money. Unless the service is already paid for through insurance, we just won’t go for teeth cleanings, vision or hearing check. There are some combination dental/vision plans starting to be offered which is a good first step. But it needs to be more widespread in the individual market and not just a special offering in the group health insurance arena.
After all, isn’t your mouth, eyes and ears part of your overall body and health?
When will dental and medical insurance be integrated?
David E. Williams is co-founder of MedPharma Partners LLC
March 28th, 2012 by David E. Williams of the Health business blog
It has never made sense to me to that dental insurance is not included in comprehensive medical insurance. Maybe it’s because dental care was originally seen as mainly cosmetic or because dentists aren’t medical doctors. I suspect there’s also concern about adding dental insurance to medical coverage due to the added cost. In any case, it’s become increasingly clear that oral health and overhaul health are closely linked, and that at least in targeted populations it’s pennywise and pound foolish not to emphasize dental care.
A newly published large scale study demonstrated that Type II diabetics who receive periodontal treatment have medical costs that are lower by $1814 per year compared to the control group. The savings held up over the three-year scope of the study. The concept is that oral infections worsen a patient’s diabetes; treating the infection improves the diabetes. From Health Leaders:
The study’s release coincided with United Concordia launch of a diabetes-specific program that provides 100% coverage for surgical procedures, other treatments, and maintenance for patients with gum disease.
“This is the most statistically conclusive study proving the relationship between oral health and medical cost savings. The savings are just the start of what is to come,” United Concordia COO/President F.G. “Chip” Merkel told reporters. “We believe that employers will realize reduced medical costs when their employees with diabetes receive appropriate periodontal care.”
Merkel suggests that a targeted approach to dental coverage would go a long way.
“The thought is you don’t need to cover everybody in the population,” he says. “The better thing to do is cover those targeted populations where we can show savings and where we know an intervention program of information and assistance will help them get in and get the treatment they need.”
I don’t doubt that the study sponsors have a commercial goal in mind, but it seems to me the idea of expanding dental coverage, especially for populations like diabetics, is a smart thing to do.