Do you guys have a health/dental plan or pay as you go?



I had this same problem last week. Have to get a crown and a couple cavities fixed. Gonna be around $1800.

Just open a HSA if you have a compatible health insurance plan. That way anything you spend at the doctor and dentist is tax deductible.

That alone will save me 30-40% off the dentist fees! HSA FTW
 
EvilPenguin said:
shit that sounds almost too good to be true man, what' the catch?
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You can only add $3,100 a year into your HSA. All contributions are tax-deductible to your account so it depends on what your tax rate of course is ultimately how much you save. They roll over to the next year if you don't use it.

You can use it on any legit expense like dentist, prescriptions, doctor visits, etc.

You can't use it on nyquil, cough drops and asian massage parlours etc. As long as its prescribed and its an official expense, your good to go!!
 
PhilipShapiro said:
But no, I pay for my own health plan that includes dental/vision. It is very expensive like you said. But the way I look at it is -- take advantage of it when you're paying for it, because if you don't have it and you need it, you're fucked.
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Exactly, there isn't anything more valuable than your health.

My father had a stroke many years ago and without the special stroke unit in hospital and spending months in this extremely expensive rehab facility and all the training he would probably never have regained the ability to live a relatively normal life. It cost a fortune, health insurance covered it.

You never know when or if fate may hit, but better be prepared.
 
I'm on my sugar momma's health plan through her work.

I'm in my later 20's and have recently nailed the insurance with probably $20k+ in costs, all originating from a pain in my face. I haven't got the bill yet to say the exact amount, but spent an hour in the MRI 2 weeks ago with and without contrast, which found something, which led to a spinal tap last week and crazy blood tests. The neurologist is like $400 for 15 minutes, they verify your insurance or require payment before seeing them. My friend's MRI was $4k for 15 minutes and I spent a full hour being zapped. That shit is cooled with liquid helium ffs.

I'd have been so fucked without the insurance. Even with insurance I had to wait a week before getting the MRI after seeing the neurologist because they had to pre authorize it with my insurance. If you didn't have $10-$20k to put up for it you wouldn't get it......no matter how badly you needed it. (comprehensive head/brain mri with and without contrast, reviewed by specially trained neurologists, then a lumbar puncture where you have to lay with a needle in your spine dripping out spinal fluid for 30 min to fill 4 vials, then blood tests. I can't wait to see the bill...)

You could maybe go to an ER somewhere and get a certain level of care, but it wouldn't be the comprehensive treatment you get when being referred to a specialist. And ER is crazy more expensive for each procedure they perform.

My girlfriend also had a foot surgery on the same plan which cost $32k and didn't cost her anything. (12k for the surgery, 20k for the hospital)

So if you have anything to lose, you probably need insurance to protect it.

At the same time shitty insurance isn't worth a fuck. When I worked construction, my employer provided insurance declined to pay for immitrex, a $240 prescription. They flat out said nope and who are you going to cry to? The government? A lawyer?
 
JoseArmando said:
No matter what I search for those sites always end up telling me I have cancer
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Yeah, this.

Headache.. tick
Stomach ache.. tick
Swollen lymph nodes.. tick

You may have lymphoma, please go to a doctor.. Oh.. ok..

Cough.. tick

You may have lung cancer, please got to a doctor.. Oh.. ok..

The sites are worthless really.

Now when I feel abnormal (beyond standard cold/flu) I just go to a doctor. One of the tiny benefits of public healthcare I guess. Might as well take advantage of the extortionate amount of tax I pay to cover it. I have little faith in it though, went to doctors few years back with a lump in my back, told me it was nothing and not to worry about it. Went to see a private consultant for a second opinion, it was an infected cyst of some kind the size of a fucking golf ball. He reckoned if it was left in much longer it'd have got even bigger, and potentially ruptured, which could cause blood poisoning or some shit.

Basically healthcare is shit everywhere.

If you feel ill go to the doctor and hope that he didn't get shitfaced on drink & cocaine last night.

If you live in the US then just go and visit House, he's pretty chill.
 
Do you travel at all? I am surprised no one mentioned medical tourism. I was in Thailand in February, went to a dentist, had 3 fillings and cleaning done - cost me a wopping $70. The money I saved probably paid for the ticket.
 
My girlfriend is a dental hygienist. You guys don't even want to hear the nightmare stories she has. It's beyond bad. People who come in after smoking and not flossing and no cleanings for 5 years... their teeth are sometimes held together BY their tartar. Totally disgusting and one bite away from losing them.

BRUSH AND FLOSS YOUR TEETH KIDS!! And stop eating sugar!

Anyway, I have no dental plan. I pay cash. No clue what'd be best for you, but get everything fixed from someone legit! Teeth aren't worth being a cheapass for.
 
Pay as I go and wherever I go.

The great thing about IM is being able to leverage international price difference. I've been travelling in Europe during the past 3 months (coming from Canada) and had a few cavities that needed fixing. Was quoted 1.6k in Canada. I knew I was going to be in Europe anyway and experience tells me its cheaper and equally good service (in my experience actually better in certain parts as I've been doing this for years) I had it done earlier this month and it cost me only $300 for a great job. The savings have basically paid for my trip here.

You're an internet marketer -you have advantages others don't. Use them.

I look at everything as a profit deal. I don't buy squat unless I think I can turn a profit on it somehow. TV? I could resell mine at $200 profit. Treadmill? 250 profit if I sold it today.

Hell, I basically upgrade my laptops at little to not cost by buying new laptops after christmas at 60% off (locally wherever that might be at the time). Then resell it once I want to upgrade at nearly full price and buy a new one at 60% or more off again.

I could afford to buy the thing at Best Buy new like everyone else, but then I wouldn't be using my brains. I look at the $500 or whatever the amount I save as something I can reinvest in to one of my businesses or just put in to sit in investment and let it gain interest. That 50 saved today could be worth 4-5 figures in 10 years.

I even got a working van for free a few years ago. A guy was selling them on local classifieds and said they need to be gone by Friday because his company was relocating and they had to be off the lot. I set an appointment with him on Friday evening, went out and told him I'll pay 500 for one van and I'll take the other van for free in exchange for driving it off the lot, or he can pay the expense of having it towed if he wanted. The guy was originally selling them at 2.5k each. He never should have told me they got to go by Friday, but I walked off with a free van and one for $500.

Point is, we're marketers and we have some great skills and opportunities at our hand to take advantage of. Use it. Never forget that you're a marketer, always look out for ways to get out ahead of the average joe.

PS: If you want great dental care at cheap prices check out Hungary. Kicks ass.
 
Generally dental insurance will pay for a cleaning right away but if you have some serious issue there is going to be a waiting period, at least from what I have.

I only believe in using insurance that is actually insurance, so yes I do have insurance- unlike a lot of employed people who have more of a 3rd party managed health payments plan. Insurance is not really that expensive, at least in my experience, and I have at times paid for private insurance for women and kids, as well. What is expensive is when people want to buy a health payment transfer plan and pay someone else to handle the payments for every little office visit and prescription. I got mine from my states Blue cross website and got the same quotes from ehealthinsurance or some site like that.

I know a lot of people view dental insurance as even worse insurance than traditional health "insurance".. because you tend to pay for your cleanings or whatever through your premium and not get much benefit beyond that. However, my Blue Cross dental plan did save me a few grand in the first year.

Oh, yeah: Have you heard of dental floss? It might cost a couple bucks a month, but it will save you in the long run.
 
Well shiet, I just got the insurance letter for my medical expenses and they are only paying 20% lol fucking niggers.

MRI was $10,203 and insurance says they're paying $1700 of it.

So even with insurance you're fucked. Sucks you (your employer) have to blindly buy the shit without knowing exactly what it will cover. This isn't a lower level policy, my girl makes $80k salary plus crazy benefits. The insurance even pays for "deep tissue massages", ffs.

I also think you'd still be fucked with a 10k deductible catastrophe plan. That would kick in if you had a heart attack or something instant, but for anything that requires treatment over time you'd have multiple 10k deductibles. Likely they'd just deny you benefits until you die if it were a serious ailment (cancer).

For dental I have insurance as well. They paid for teeth cleaning and 2 x-rays, I had to pay $20 that wasn't covered from the second large wrap-around x-ray. Not sure how it would go if there were more serious costs (crowns, fillings, etc)
 
shindig said:
Well shiet, I just got the insurance letter for my medical expenses and they are only paying 20% lol fucking niggers.

MRI was $10,203 and insurance says they're paying $1700 of it.

So even with insurance you're fucked. Sucks you have to blindly buy the shit without knowing exactly what it will cover. This isn't a lower level policy, my girl makes $80k salary plus crazy benefits. The insurance even pays for "deep tissue massages", ffs.

I also think you'd still be fucked with a 10k deductible catastrophe plan. That would kick in if you had a heart attack or something instant, but for anything that requires treatment over time you'd have multiple 10k deductibles. Likely they'd just deny you benefits until you die if it were a serious ailment (cancer).
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Why not grab a flight out of the US and get a cat scan? Probably save you at least $5k.
 
shindig said:
MRI was $10,203 and insurance says they're paying $1700 of it.
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$1000 for an MRI in Costa Rica. + $1000 for flight + hotel.. You'd be sitting pretty.

You might even be able to find a flight in the AM .... MRI takes an hour. Get back on the plane in the PM.
 
HiGhPeR said:
Why not grab a flight out of the US and get a cat scan? Probably save you at least $5k.
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Another guy with a problem similar to mine went to India and had the procedure for $400 which was going to cost him $11k here.

Could bankroll one hell of a vacation with the savings.

The shitty thing is the doctors aren't involved in the money side, my doctor said he wanted another MRI in 3 months to see if the problem is getting better, he just schedules what he wants as he needs it. Now I have to explain to him I probably can't have it if I'm going to be jewed by the insurance.

I had $600 in blood work done and the insurance is paying $200 of it, it didn't even show the spinal tap I just had last week and the blood tests that went with it as well.

Basically I had a pain in my face behind the eye on my trigeminal nerve, neuro ordered MRI. MRI found "something" on the trigeminal nerve that could be anything from a tumor, herpes :uhoh2:, or an infection. From there he ordered a spinal tap to determine which it is. Costs totaling around $15,000 for a diagnosist. Insurance wants to pay about $3k of it.
 
nickCR said:
$1000 for an MRI in Costa Rica. + $1000 for flight + hotel.. You'd be sitting pretty.

You might even be able to find a flight in the AM .... MRI takes an hour. Get back on the plane in the PM.
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My aunt/uncle live there full time and I love it down there, my goal is to move there when I get enough passive income to live off. They rent out their house in san diego and live off that, along with retirement moneys.

My aunt has leukemia and actually gets her $200/day medicine for free down there. Medicare and her private health insurance don't work outside the states, so she was able to show hardship and gets it for free.

They have 85 acres of jungle they've owned since the 1970's and bought a house when they moved down there full time in the mountains in a place called: San Juan de Puriscal where it's in the 70's year around. Decent house cost $60k and he has a full time skilled construction worker constantly building shit for $4/hour
 
Blue Shield and Blue Cross Dental is pretty good, I have had them both, like Berto said, floss and brush your teeth twice a day, and also use SenSadyne, its the best, currently I have no dental insurance but plan on getting one in a few months
 
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