I was laid off from my job after 9/11 and lost my dental insurance. After several temp jobs, I finally got hired to a permanent position in April. My new job provides dental insurance, so yesterday I made my first visit to a dentist in about five years.
The net result is that I need about $6,000 in dental work done. My insurance maxes out at a $1,000 per year and my dentist cut another $1,500 or so off of the price, so I get to shell out $3,500. Fortunately I can pay it off over 18 months, so it shouldn’t be too bad. Still, ouch!
I am fortunate, though. After the diagnosis and the administering of smelling salts, the dentist was able to get right to work. My guess is that if we had a single-payer health system, there would be a long waiting list for all of the work I am getting done.
Anyway, here is a “nice” photo of what all the fuss is about:
Click on the picture for a larger view.
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