The cost of dental care has become prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of Americans. In a new study by Synchrony, more than nine in ten Americans say that they would consider putting off getting dental care because of the cost, reports Pete Grieve for Money.
Medicare does not cover dental care. And, people with Medicare should note that when Medicare Advantage plans offer dental benefits , the benefits tend to be extremely limited. As a result, many people in Medicare Advantage plans that claim to offer dental benefits are still not able to get dental care. In some cases, there are only a small number of in-network dental providers and it can be hard to see them. In other cases, the out-of-pocket costs for dental care are limited and unaffordable. Do not join a Medicare Advantage plan because of its dental benefits before checking closely to see what those benefits are.
Note: Even though Traditional Medicare does not cover dental care, people in Traditional Medicare get dental care at the same rate as people in Medicare Advantage plans.
The problem in getting dental care for most people is the cost; the price of dental care keeps rising, faster than inflation. Dental care costs are up 5.6 percent this year. The American Dental Association Health Policy Institute claims that costs are up because supplies and materials cost more, as do lab fees and labor. It wold not be surprising if private equity firms buying up dental practices are driving up dental costs as well.
The Synchrony researchers found that more than half (58 percent) of the 1,335 respondents surveyed said they could not afford dental care, even though many of them had dental insurance. Of course, when people do not have dental insurance, it’s all the harder for them to afford critical dental care.Three in four people without dental coverage said they could not afford dental care.
For the typical adult between 20 and 79 years old, dental insurance can cost as much as $51,000 during a lifetime. In addition, if people need dental implants or other complex dental care, dental procedures can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Consequently, 92 percent of adults studied said they were thinking about holding off getting dental care because of the cost. Even for emergency dental care, more than four in five adults (83 percent) were thinking about not getting care.
The older you are, the harder it is to afford dental care. Two in three older people said that dental care was unaffordable as compared to 51 percent of young adults.
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