We saw this and of course thought of you! Thanks for the laughs!!
Good Times had by all!
By the way, this is the closest any of our children will ever get to a kennel! 
Showing posts with label mean people suck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mean people suck. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Friday, July 11, 2008
Dental Fiasco
So one of the perks of adopting children through the Foster Care System of The Great State of Utah, is that you don't have to fork over a penny for anything medical or dental. They come with their own insurance plan! Thank you, Medicaid. Nice right? Unless the doctors you go to are complete crooks! I loved our Utah pediatrician and dentist before we moved to Texas. They were great! Their offices were close to our home and I felt like they honestly cared about my children. I liked our dentist, but I didn't love our pediatrician in Texas, I felt like a number to her and she would never answer my questions. Now we are back in Utah in a different area and I'm having a really hard time finding someone that I can trust again. Here is the problem...the only doctors (well, dentists in this case) who accept Medicaid are either right out of school or really struggling to keep patients.
So my friend and neighbour, Michele, told me how great her dentist was and that we should see him. I called and of course he didn't take Medicaid. So, Michele's Dentist referred me to a dentist that did, but told me they didn't know him at all, just that he was on a list. So I called Medicaid Dentist and asked a gazillion questions! I didn't want to have to take Jace and Caden to a different doctor than the rest of us, so I was looking for a family practice that was really good with children, AND that took both Medicaid and our insurance.
Long story short, they SUCK! And the reasons keep adding up! All five of us went in for cleanings. The boys went in on July 2nd and then Mark and I went in on July 7th. They took a $50 x-ray on Jackson that insurance companies won't even cover for children until they are 6 and in some cases even 7 years old because that type of x-ray isn't necessary for children that age! But they didn't tell us this, so we are going to be responsible to pay for it when our insurance denies the claim. Jace and Caden both had to come back to take care of a few cavities. And knowing what I know now about this guy, I wonder if he over did it. He gave Jace 2 crowns and I found out today that Medicaid doesn't pay much for fillings, but pays a ton for crowns. So, I'm afraid that he did more work than what was necessary so he could make a few extra bucks and my poor kids are the ones who suffered for it. (Jace was in pain for 2 days afterward!)
When Mark and I went in for our appointments, they told us that we had to redo ALL the work that had EVER been done! And the guy used scare tactics! "If you wait on these, you may be looking at root canals or even worse, extractions." Between the two of us, he wanted over $8000, yes, Eight Thousand Dollars! And that's out of pocket for us...that doesn't even include what he would be charging the insurance! I needed a filling but he told me that he couldn't do just a filling that he HAD to do a crown. I talked to him about it to see if there was any way to hold off on a crown since our insurance has a 12 month waiting period (don't even get me started on that one!!) for any major dental work (including crowns and root canals). He still said that there was no way around doing the crown, he wouldn't even discuss options with me. This guy is not concerned about what is best for us at all! He is just trying to maximize his profits.
So, I got a second opinion. I went to Michele's Dentist who is now our New Dentist and can I just tell you how great he is?!! He was able to do the filling for me right there on the spot! No crown, no argument, no problems!
Interestingly enough, I got a call from Medicaid Dentist's office manager the day after I had my filling done. She said, "Medicaid Dentist spent some time this morning going over your x-rays, and he's really concerned about that tooth. He says that after putting alot of thought into it, he is pretty sure that he will be able to do a filling on that tooth. But as soon as your insurance kicks in, you'll need to get a crown put on it. So give us a call and we can fit you in on Monday. We have an opening at 8:00 am, 9:00 am, 10:00 am and even 11:00 am. So, give us a call and we will get you taken care of." (Having that many openings on the next business day makes me a little nervous!)
See what I mean about wondering if Jace really needed those crowns? I am going to go to Medicaid Dentists office on Monday to pick up all of our x-rays. New Dentist said that if I brought him all the x-rays and the service plan for Jace and Caden, he could tell me if Medicaid Dentist did exactly what needed to be done, or if he did extra work to pad his pocket book. As much as I hate confrontations, there will probably be one. I know they are going to ask why I went elsewhere and that is just a conversation they do not want to have with me. (Mark is ready to turn him into the Better Business Bureau.) So, wish me luck. I'm not looking forward to Monday!
As far as Jace and Caden are concerned, I am taking them back to their old dentist. My parents and Mark's parents live right there, so we will just make a day of it. I'll drive the distance if it means that they are well taken care of!
So my friend and neighbour, Michele, told me how great her dentist was and that we should see him. I called and of course he didn't take Medicaid. So, Michele's Dentist referred me to a dentist that did, but told me they didn't know him at all, just that he was on a list. So I called Medicaid Dentist and asked a gazillion questions! I didn't want to have to take Jace and Caden to a different doctor than the rest of us, so I was looking for a family practice that was really good with children, AND that took both Medicaid and our insurance.
Long story short, they SUCK! And the reasons keep adding up! All five of us went in for cleanings. The boys went in on July 2nd and then Mark and I went in on July 7th. They took a $50 x-ray on Jackson that insurance companies won't even cover for children until they are 6 and in some cases even 7 years old because that type of x-ray isn't necessary for children that age! But they didn't tell us this, so we are going to be responsible to pay for it when our insurance denies the claim. Jace and Caden both had to come back to take care of a few cavities. And knowing what I know now about this guy, I wonder if he over did it. He gave Jace 2 crowns and I found out today that Medicaid doesn't pay much for fillings, but pays a ton for crowns. So, I'm afraid that he did more work than what was necessary so he could make a few extra bucks and my poor kids are the ones who suffered for it. (Jace was in pain for 2 days afterward!)
When Mark and I went in for our appointments, they told us that we had to redo ALL the work that had EVER been done! And the guy used scare tactics! "If you wait on these, you may be looking at root canals or even worse, extractions." Between the two of us, he wanted over $8000, yes, Eight Thousand Dollars! And that's out of pocket for us...that doesn't even include what he would be charging the insurance! I needed a filling but he told me that he couldn't do just a filling that he HAD to do a crown. I talked to him about it to see if there was any way to hold off on a crown since our insurance has a 12 month waiting period (don't even get me started on that one!!) for any major dental work (including crowns and root canals). He still said that there was no way around doing the crown, he wouldn't even discuss options with me. This guy is not concerned about what is best for us at all! He is just trying to maximize his profits.
So, I got a second opinion. I went to Michele's Dentist who is now our New Dentist and can I just tell you how great he is?!! He was able to do the filling for me right there on the spot! No crown, no argument, no problems!
Interestingly enough, I got a call from Medicaid Dentist's office manager the day after I had my filling done. She said, "Medicaid Dentist spent some time this morning going over your x-rays, and he's really concerned about that tooth. He says that after putting alot of thought into it, he is pretty sure that he will be able to do a filling on that tooth. But as soon as your insurance kicks in, you'll need to get a crown put on it. So give us a call and we can fit you in on Monday. We have an opening at 8:00 am, 9:00 am, 10:00 am and even 11:00 am. So, give us a call and we will get you taken care of." (Having that many openings on the next business day makes me a little nervous!)
See what I mean about wondering if Jace really needed those crowns? I am going to go to Medicaid Dentists office on Monday to pick up all of our x-rays. New Dentist said that if I brought him all the x-rays and the service plan for Jace and Caden, he could tell me if Medicaid Dentist did exactly what needed to be done, or if he did extra work to pad his pocket book. As much as I hate confrontations, there will probably be one. I know they are going to ask why I went elsewhere and that is just a conversation they do not want to have with me. (Mark is ready to turn him into the Better Business Bureau.) So, wish me luck. I'm not looking forward to Monday!
As far as Jace and Caden are concerned, I am taking them back to their old dentist. My parents and Mark's parents live right there, so we will just make a day of it. I'll drive the distance if it means that they are well taken care of!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Decisons, Decisions...
So, it's Christmas time again, my favorite time of year. I can't believe how quickly time flies! We've been in Texas now for a year and half. And we have truly loved living here. Mark and I have made some wonderful friends, learned life-altering lessons, and grown together as a couple and family. But, I think our journey here is not over.
Since losing his job last week, Mark and I have been faced with some tough decisions, yet again. Do we stick it out here in Texas or do we head home to Utah and family? Of course we would love to go home. We WANT to go home. But as I said, I don't think we are finished here. When we made the decision to move to Texas, it was a no-brainer for both of us. We knew it was the right thing to do. We planned on being here for about five years and then heading back. Now that there is really nothing holding us here, the question presents itself: Do we go home? This time the answer is not so easy for us.
Dallas is a great place for Mark to be right now. There are tons of opportunities for him to further his career. There are not so many opportunities in Salt Lake, but I know there are some. It's not like there is a wrong answer here, and I think that is what is making this so difficult for us.
We've spent much time on our knees and in the temple. Mark thinks we'll be back in Utah by June, I'm thinking it will be longer than that. I hope not by much. The kids all want to go back and Mark and I do feel that longing to be near family. I just hope it is sooner than later.
Since losing his job last week, Mark and I have been faced with some tough decisions, yet again. Do we stick it out here in Texas or do we head home to Utah and family? Of course we would love to go home. We WANT to go home. But as I said, I don't think we are finished here. When we made the decision to move to Texas, it was a no-brainer for both of us. We knew it was the right thing to do. We planned on being here for about five years and then heading back. Now that there is really nothing holding us here, the question presents itself: Do we go home? This time the answer is not so easy for us.
Dallas is a great place for Mark to be right now. There are tons of opportunities for him to further his career. There are not so many opportunities in Salt Lake, but I know there are some. It's not like there is a wrong answer here, and I think that is what is making this so difficult for us.
We've spent much time on our knees and in the temple. Mark thinks we'll be back in Utah by June, I'm thinking it will be longer than that. I hope not by much. The kids all want to go back and Mark and I do feel that longing to be near family. I just hope it is sooner than later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)