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Cheyenne Advanced Dental Arts
L. Scott Brooksby, DDS, DICOI
Prosthodontist
8960 W. Cheyenne #190
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Government and Health CareDr Brooksby,
I heard you speak at the Americans for Prosperity meeting on the 17th. What do you think of the current health care plan and how will it affect dental care? Concerned
Dear Concerned,
A big frustration for patients for years has been the requirement that their treatment be approved by the
insurance company if they were going to pay for it. Patients that wanted white fillings instead of silver fillings were
told that the company would only pay the price of a silver filling. Patients that had dentures that were poor fitting
were told that they had to wait 5 years before they could get a new set of dentures. The insurance companies even went
so far as to set not only annual limits, but also limits on the amount they would consider acceptable for reimbursement.
This was all to save the insurance companies money.
Several companies, seeing that this was not to the benefit of their employees established a direct
reimbursement plan. The employees were allowed a certain maximum that the employer would reimburse for dental care.
The employee could chose there own dentist and use that money for what ever dental procedure they felt served them best.
They would pay for it and the employer would reimburse the patient. GE was one of the largest users of this type of plan.
One in which the free market was actually used to provide the best care for the patients.
It is a fact that some people can not get medical coverage on their own because of pre-existing medical
conditions. In states where insurance companies are not allowed to exclude someone the insurance premiums have skyrocketed
because the cost had to be absorbed by someone and the insurance company wanted to make sure their reserves were not
affected.
Now government has decided that the people are incapable of handling their own medical decisions and
could not properly select insurance coverages. They want to take over the insurance programs and mandate the way things
will be. Employers will be forced to provide insurance and absorb the costs themselves. This will force some employers
to cut staff or reduce hours for employees to levels that are below those that require the insurance participation. The
government will hire a ton of bureaucrats to monitor the employers and the insurance companies. They will also begin to
tell us who gets what for coverage.
In many countries where the government has taken over health care the wait to see a specialist or to
get care can be months. When I did my specialty training at the San Francisco Veterans Administration Hospital, I
experienced first hand the way government runs health care. I had a patient that had his teeth pulled with the promise
of new, free dentures. After the teeth were pulled the patient was informed that the waiting list for new dentures was
1 ½ years. I entered the VA system used to seeing 15-20 patients a day. Most of the dentists at the VA would see only
5 or 6 patients a day. Some only saw 2-4 patients a day. No wonder there was a 1 ½ year wait.
How will this all affect me as a Prosthodontist? I currently am not a provider for any of the
insurance companies. They do not recognize specialty care. While my fees for routine care like fillings, checkups,
cleanings, etc are actually lower than the insurance companies allow, do charge more for the specialty services that
I provide. I spend a lot more time with my patients, especially when providing dentures, implants, crowns, bridges
and cosmetic procedures. I base my fees on the skill level and time required to provide those services. Often the
insurance companies want me to accept as my regular fees amounts that are 50-75% less than what I now charge. The
US post office insurance plan actually allows about $5 per filling when they are actually closer to $150-300 each.
My office files all insurance claims for our patients, and we work to help them get timely reimbursement.
Usually reimbursements are received within about 30-40 days. I do not accept the insurance companies low reimbursements
as payment for my services.
My patients expect the best and do not want me to feel pressured to do less than that. I will not
participate in any insurance plan instituted by the government. I will still provide the highest quality care to my
patients, but will continue to do so for my regular fees. My patients do not wait for dental care. In the rare instance
that a patient waits more than 30 minutes for me in my office I reimburse them $10 for their time. Their time is as
valuable as my time is. Most patients are seen at their scheduled times. There is not a long wait to get appointments.
While many implant and grafting procedures take time for the body to do its part, we generally have patients in the same
week they call and they are never kept waiting if they have a problem.
I am one of those rare dentists that does not hide from my patients. They are all given my cell phone
number and on weekends I forward my office phone to my cell phone and I carry a copy of the schedule with me. In our
office the patient is always the priority and no government can duplicate that nor regulate it away from my patients.
Is it any wonder that Dr. L. Scott Brooksby was selected as the Best Prosthodontist in Las Vegas for 2009,
2011 and 2012 by the United States Consumer Association.
If you would like to meet Dr. Brooksby or if you have any kind of dental concern and would like a fresh look at what choices are available
to you call
. Schedule a free consultation and lets see what we can do to help you. If you have questions you would like answered you can
e-mail Dr. Brooksby at scott@lvimplant.com. |