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teeth ,vision products and hearing aids don't count i guess .. we don't really need them . ha ha ha
Yes it is ridiculous that dental and vision and hearing aids are not included in insurance. Do you know if these things are deductible as medical expenses on taxes? Also I just read on the Motley Fool site that for 2017 seniors no longer get the reduced 7.5% medical deduction -- it is going up to 10% of adjusted gross income just like everybody else. That stinks if it is accurate.
Thank you, Ariadne22, for mentioning hearing aids, because it's a huge expense not covered by Medicare. Anyone know why not? This baffles me.
Glasses and hearing aids are considered elective -- things like this are excluded to control costs. If they weren't, your payments would go up.
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Originally Posted by FrannyBear
Yes it is ridiculous that dental and vision and hearing aids are not included in insurance. Do you know if these things are deductible as medical expenses on taxes? Also I just read on the Motley Fool site that for 2017 seniors no longer get the reduced 7.5% medical deduction -- it is going up to 10% of adjusted gross income just like everybody else. That stinks if it is accurate.
The more that's included in coverage, the higher our payments will be -- and then we'd have something else to complain about. Medicare isn't funded by free money: it all has to come out of someone's pockets. And all the resources Uncle Sugar has comes out of OUR pockets.
If you choose to have dental and vision and hearing coverage, you need to pay for a supplemental plan that covers them. Medicare Parts A and B were not designed to be all-inclusive; that's why you have Advantage and Medigap plans.
the advantage plans don't really cover much in the way of "old people teeth" issues . the coverage is generally pretty limited. as an example out of 25k in my implant costs 400 bucks would have been covered for extractions under insurance .
I have an 80 year old friend that could have used an implant but the cost was about $4000. She opted for a hole in her mouth instead. At least it was a molar and did not affect her beautiful smile. She and her husband are considered middle class but with all the other insurance they pay for the $4000 for one tooth just was not sustainable.
My parents had dentures by the time they were 50. Given they came from war torn Europe and did not have proper nutrition growing up....everything was rationed before, during and after the war, I believe it effected their dental health, and the fact that no one had the money for dental services anyway. That was considered a HUGE luxury at the time. Food and shelter were considered much more important.
And no dental implants at that time.
My, how times have changed. What people expected then is sure different than what we expect now as basic health care.
I recall my father asking me to look in all his pockets in his closet. I asked him what I was looking for and he said....Oh, you'll know when you find it. The "it" was his dentures! BBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
the advantage plans don't really cover much in the way of "old people teeth" issues . the coverage is generally pretty limited. as an example out of 25k in my implant costs 400 bucks would have been covered for extractions under insurance .
It's been my experience, in general, that dental insurance really is not worth the premium to pay. I am talking about dental care before the "old people teeth" issue.
I have a friend that has a very nice teacher's pension but it does not cover hearing aids and she needs them for both ears. Genetic and pretty badly needed. $5000. JEEZ!
She also has bad knees at 80 but Medicare says she is not bad off enough to get them replaced. She can't walk up steps but she can still walk around on a flat surface. Go figure.
Glasses and hearing aids are considered elective -- things like this are excluded to control costs. If they weren't, your payments would go up.
The more that's included in coverage, the higher our payments will be -- and then we'd have something else to complain about. Medicare isn't funded by free money: it all has to come out of someone's pockets. And all the resources Uncle Sugar has comes out of OUR pockets.
If you choose to have dental and vision and hearing coverage, you need to pay for a supplemental plan that covers them. Medicare Parts A and B were not designed to be all-inclusive; that's why you have Advantage and Medigap plans.
I understand why they are excluded -- but honestly -- I firmly believe that being able to see and hear and eat are not ELECTIVE. And I know Medicare is not funded with free money -- but I do believe that taxpayers and US citizens should benefit from the taxes they pay and that includes Medicare. Hearing aids, glasses and functioning teeth are necessary for proper health, for goodness sakes.
I have an 80 year old friend that could have used an implant but the cost was about $4000. She opted for a hole in her mouth instead. At least it was a molar and did not affect her beautiful smile. She and her husband are considered middle class but with all the other insurance they pay for the $4000 for one tooth just was not sustainable.
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Originally Posted by TMKSarah
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I have a friend that has a very nice teacher's pension but it does not cover hearing aids and she needs them for both ears. Genetic and pretty badly needed. $5000. JEEZ!
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If people are considered "middle class" or if they have "a very nice teacher's pension", then they can afford $4000 for an implant or $5000 for hearing aids. Now that might not be the case if they live really high on the hog such that they are living from monthly check to monthly check (or from hand to mouth as the saying goes), but in that case the problem is with their own budgeting. Things like implants and hearing aids are what emergency funds are for. Are you saying these folks didn't have a half-way decent emergency fund?
As for the implant, I can understand an 80-year-old questioning how many more years they will get the benefit of having the implant, and therefore questioning if it's worth the hassle and expense at that age. As for the hearing aids, they have such a positive impact on the enjoyment of life - on basic functioning - that they are "worth it" at any age, really.
I speak from experience. I had two implants done about four and six years ago, and I got hearing aids about two years ago. I hate the hearing aids as an outward and visible sign of being a freak of nature, but I'm so grateful for the improvement in hearing that if I had it to do over again I would get them sooner.
It's been my experience, in general, that dental insurance really is not worth the premium to pay. I am talking about dental care before the "old people teeth" issue.
I have a friend that has a very nice teacher's pension but it does not cover hearing aids and she needs them for both ears. Genetic and pretty badly needed. $5000. JEEZ!
She also has bad knees at 80 but Medicare says she is not bad off enough to get them replaced. She can't walk up steps but she can still walk around on a flat surface. Go figure.
It's not Medicare that's saying no. It's the surgeon she is seeing who is reporting that diagnosis code. Get a freaking second opinion!
In regard to hearing aids, one word: Costco. DH has experienced FAR better results and care with their staff and products than he ever received from a private audiologist. At about half the price.
I only have one implant to replace two back molars. It is obvious not for cosmetic reason. The implant is very solid, feel like a real tooth and allow me to chew from both sides.
I would expect implants to replace front teeth would function as good as real ones for biting. My mother has dentures and always removes them when she eats. Of course, she could only eat soft food.
I think for sole cosmetic purpose, dentures would work fine. IMO, the main benefit of implant is excellent tooth replacement for food enjoyment. If implants look better than dentures, it is just added benefit.
We have always chosen the most comprehensive dental insurance plans (our current plan is Metlife at ~$50/month) because we think good dental care is essential for our life. As we get older, it is harder and harder to maintain good gum and teeth. There are more and more evidence shows a strong association between gum disease and heart disease, stroke, diabetes etc. and it can also shorten life. I strongly believe that you can not be healthy without having healthy gum and teeth.
Last edited by BellaDL; 04-14-2017 at 11:52 AM..
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