For a consult, x-rays, a cleaning, and 3 fillings in the greater Boston area, it was more than $750 dollars, and in the last calendar year I also required a crown and I am still paying off the debt on that. In total it was more than $1200. That may not seem like a lot, but on a graduate student stipend, that is a lot even spread out over 12+ months. In general, though, I don’t have access to funds that would cover dental emergencies. I try to take good care of my teeth, but having a fall back plan of “I’ll just pay out of pocket at a cheap dentist” seems bad to me.
I understand your concern, but it may unrealistic to have your security cake and eat it too. Do you have a reason to believe dental emergencies will occur in the near future?
Isn’t one of the main points of insurance specifically to have financial security for things you can’t predict? Hedging against health risk? I don’t think I will be abnormally prone to dental problems in the next year, but we’re also talking about lack of dental insurance for the next 3-4 years, over which it is more likely that I will need things that would massively cheaper with insurance than without. I also don’t have much of a lifeline with extended family; they couldn’t really afford to help much.
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For a consult, x-rays, a cleaning, and 3 fillings in the greater Boston area, it was more than $750 dollars, and in the last calendar year I also required a crown and I am still paying off the debt on that. In total it was more than $1200. That may not seem like a lot, but on a graduate student stipend, that is a lot even spread out over 12+ months. In general, though, I don’t have access to funds that would cover dental emergencies. I try to take good care of my teeth, but having a fall back plan of “I’ll just pay out of pocket at a cheap dentist” seems bad to me.
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Well, given the amount of cake he’s eating...
Isn’t one of the main points of insurance specifically to have financial security for things you can’t predict? Hedging against health risk? I don’t think I will be abnormally prone to dental problems in the next year, but we’re also talking about lack of dental insurance for the next 3-4 years, over which it is more likely that I will need things that would massively cheaper with insurance than without. I also don’t have much of a lifeline with extended family; they couldn’t really afford to help much.
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