Monday, August 9, 2010

When the bill hurts more than the cavity

I think I'm going to become a patient's rights advocate. Recently my sister was torn, trying to decide how to take care of her daughter's dental problem.  The poor girl was in major pain, it happened to be a Sunday and they have no dental insurance.  My sister took her to an urgent care center.  One little problem with this type of facility--they don't do teeth.  The best they could do was give her pain medication and advise her to see a dentist.  And that will be $65.00 for this visit.

So what do people do about their dental problems when they have no dental insurance and no extra money to pay a dentist bill?

What boggles my mind is the fact that you can go to a hospital if you have a medical emergency, and as far as I know, you can't be turned away if you have no insurance.  They'll take care of you, treat your ailment, and then send you a bill and how you pay that bill--well, that's to be determined down the road.

But what about a dental emergency? The way I look at it is simple.  Everybody has teeth.  At some point, every person will need to see a dentist. Sure, we're told to see a dentist twice a year for check-ups and cleanings, but if you don't and develop a cavity, need root canal, etc., then what?

Not everyone will have a medical emergency, not everyone will visit a doctor, not everyone will need to take advantage of their health insurance, if they have it, but most everyone will need to visit a dentist.

So the way I see it we need a radical new plan.  We need emergency dental care facilities that are open every day, even on weekends. And some provisions for those who can't afford a hefty dental bill.  No one should be turned away because they can't come up with the money at the time of service.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Pretty summer images



My camera and I went for a walk this morning, hoping to discover some lovely images to photograph.  Above are a couple of pics of flower gardens I found.  Now that I've posted them, I think you can see the signs that summer is starting to fade and the sun has burned the grass a lighter shade of green.

I also visited a local park and sat inside a lovely gazebo for a short while.  I looked out over the immaculately kept park grounds and thought what a quiet and peaceful spot this would make for writing.

So I may go back there with a notebook and pen.

How is YOUR summer going?