Health insurance...is it worth getting it just for braces?

[stevie23]

Well, firstly I have NO idea where to post this, so I've put it in here...sorry if it's in the wrong place!

Secondly, I'm in Australia so the health insurance thing is totally different to anywhere else like the US or UK, I'm sure.

Anyway, so obviously braces are hyper expensive. I am not rich so cannot afford to pay a heap. And sure, lots of places have interest free payment plans that last years, which is all well and good, but I'd love to be able to have a health fund pay for at least some of the considerable expense, you know?

So I went looking online for comparisons in health funds here that offer orthodontic treatment, and man, it all sucks!

The BEST one only pays $800 per year for orthodontic treatments as a maximum. That's it! That's hardly even a DENT in the overall cost! And I'm sure they don't let you use the first year's $800 AND the next year's $800 to pay for the overall cost either. Unless there was an added and extra cost during that second year unrelated to the initial full cost, all you'd get is that first $800. How sucky is that?!

I've been reading some things on this forum about people getting thousands paid by their insurance companies! Why is it different here? $800!

[IHIC]

Hi Stevie23, sorry I can't help as I am from the UK. But I was just curious... how much roughly are braces in Australia?

Here in the UK I have found they vary from between £1800 - £3000 for metal (more expensive for ceramic), which is about 3100 - 5200 AUD (I used Google to convert lol).

[Sunny]

Firstly Stevie ortho treatment in Oz is not expensive, in fact in most areas it's quite inexpensive when compared to other countries. You need to check with a few ortho's and find out what they charge, what that includes and if you can pay the amount of monthly.

Health funds in Oz mostly don't cover adult orthodontics. A few do cover surgery as long as it can be shown to possiblyu cause major problems if not done.

You can claim for out of the pocket medical expenses in your tax return here in Oz. I paid my account off over two years and got to claim quite a lot back using this.

I looked into getting health insurance, but the cost was too much and the cover not for adults. I think there was one that covered 'extras' ... but when looked at more closely it was for a small amount of dental care, not ortho treatment.

It's different here due to Oz still being a mostly free (or almost public) health care system. I'm happy about this, as my hubby was diagnosised with cancer in 2008 and had six months of intensive chemo and radiation. After that we were told his cancer was terminal ... so he didn't have any more treatment. In the later part 2008 and the early weeks of February 2009, he was in hospital a lot ... and he died at home with me and his two children holding him tight on the last day in February 2009. It was a very sad and terrible time for us ... and I'm so grateful that all the services were provided free. We didn't even have to pay for his many doctors appointments, as our doc bulk billed them. I'm so pleased we live here, as in a country where the majority of the services are not public, like the USA ... we wouldn't have been able to have had the treatment he had, without medical insurance.

I should add that I'm still having regularly grief and loss counselling provided free of charge by the palliative care team that gave us 24 hour care from the time my beautiful man was told his cancer was terminal ... which was eight months before he died.

Am I passionate about public health ... yes I am ... and with good reason, as I got to see what I hope most people don't! We also met people who had health insurance and most were told not to use it, because then they'd have to pay the 'gap' ... whereas by going 'public' there was no gap to have to think about! I hope this type of health care remains over here for a lot longer ... and definitely for the length of my life and that of my kids. I never want to see the American system!

Good luck finding an ortho who will allow you to pay your treatment off. If you can't ... then save and get treatment when you can afford it. Good luck!

[MCOMarkhamOrthodontist]

From our experience in Canada, patients who do not have orthodontic coverage do not generally come out ahead if they start a new plan.

The basic premise of insurance companies is to make money. There are no situations that we know of where an insurance company will pay out more benefits than they make back in premiums. Many of these plans also impose a 2 year wait-time before you can use an orthodontic benefit. Take a look around and perhaps speak to a financial coordinator at one of the nearby offices to see if they can offer any additional insight. Good luck!

[ChrstyDA]

Hi:
My health insurance covered 50% of braces!

[stevie23]

WOW, 50%!!!

Sunny, I'm so sorry to hear of your experiences and losing your beautiful hubby. And yes, it was good that at least you didn't have to worry so much about the purely financial side of the situation thanks to the health system here.

My dad's had weird health problems since October last year. He got a cold that somehow became pneumonia and then caused him to completely lose his voice and the ability to swallow liquids. He was still able to eat some solids.

It's only about 3 months ago that his voice has returned but he still can't drink anything. Has to "drink" with a small spoon and eat kinda slowly.

The docs have exhausted all possible tests and found nothing. They concluded eventually that it was just a virus that did weird things, as does sometimes happen apparently.

Anyway, the expenses are BIG. My parents do have private health insurance, but they were still out of pocket something like $4,000.00 each few tests every few months. They can claim this on their tax, but only get 20% or something...I'm not sure quite how it all works.

But yes, I do admit that from what I've read, braces do seem to be cheaper in Aus than in America for instance. I was reading figures of over US$7,000 and SHOCKED by that!

All I know is when I got my braces, which was in about 1990, they cost about $3,000 (AUD). So I assumed based on that, that nowadays they'd have gone up dramatically (like everything else has over 20 years), and would be about the same as in America...but apparently not...which is great!

[reiidlynch]

Health insurance is one of the best for good support. It provide well benefits to person on illness and any injuries. There are various feature for holder of its which make good and attractive support on better life.

[NarcoAngel]

Yea, im from MN, my health insurance would have covered some of the cost of braces, if I was under 19 or had a dependent under 19. Sucky... I had to pay out of pocket.

[Phillymanhere]

Well, I know I'm in the United States, but I found a "discount plan" (different than "insurance") and bought it specifically for the discount I would get on braces.

My discount plan is about $125 a year ... I got a $3,000 discount on my braces ... with an orthodontist I'm more than pleased with .... My discount plan had no "waiting period" ... which is something you want to check on any insurance ... some may not cover a big expense for a year or so ...