No Dental/Vision on Medicare?

[qwerty3656]

My brother has serious dental problems (like thousands of dollars per tooth for several teeth type problems). He is on medicare and I was surprised to learn he has no dental coverage.

I would think this would be a big issue that I never hear anyone talk about. Old people are the ones with all the dental problems.

 

[audreyh1]

Yes - no dental coverage on Medicare. Which is why around here a lot of folks cross the border into Mexico to get their dental work done.

 

[KB]

Some Medicare Advantage plans offer both Dental and Vision.

 

[aja8888]

Some Medicare Advantage plans offer both Dental and Vision.

Dental coverage on most Medicare Advantage plans has very minimal coverage, like for cleaning and xrays only. Big stuff comes out of your pocket.


Mexico is a good choice if one needs a lot of work, but be careful with selecting a dentist there.

 

[harllee]

One reason to build up a large HSA--to be able to pay for all your dental care and hearing aids, etc after age 65

 

[SecondCor521]

It's talked about on the forum from time to time, especially in the context of "What large unforeseen expenses did you discover in FIRE?"

 

[Aerides]

Even traditional dental insurance would not have helped your brother much - employer insurance typically has an annual cap around $1500-2000. At best it's a discount program. There's really no typical dental insurance that covers you significantly, in a situation like the one you describe.

A lot of dentists offer concierge/membership programs. That's what we have. For an annual fee we get cleanings, exams, xrays, and then member reduced pricing on crowns, implants, if needed.

And yeah that's what I expect to spend my HSA on.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

Even traditional dental insurance would not have helped your brother much - employer insurance typically has an annual cap around $1500-2000. At best it's a discount program. There's really no typical dental insurance that covers you significantly, in a situation like the one you describe.

+1

My former employer's dental plan reimbursed 50% of the expenses for crowns, bridges, root canals, etc, with a maximum yearly payout of $2,000 per person.

That's why in my last years, I replaced one bridge each year, until I had all 3 done. I used our FSA to cover the other 50% of the costs. [The old bridges were over 30 years old].

Yes, I didn't pay off my mortgage before retirement, but I got all new bridges!

 

[youbet]

Dental coverage on most Medicare Advantage plans has very minimal coverage

As is the case for most private dental insurance plans.

 

[bolt]

I'm not sure about the massess sentiments or its data but if I was having problems with, or missing an arm, hand, foot or leg, I'd want the best contemperanous treatment I could afford, not Dr. Holiday w/multiple sets of extraction tools & pliers!

My attitude w/teeth is similar.
IIRC last data I saw of humans over>70 was 50% have 11 teeth or less.

Good luck & best wishes....

 

[John Galt III]

I have dental insurance through Blue Cross Dental and a Capital Blue Cross Medicare Advantage Plan. It pays 50% of the allowed amount, cap of $2,000 I think. I was happy with it for a while. I got a cleaning, checkup and xray for $10. Then I got two fillings for $130 my cost. Then I got a crown put on a broken tooth, which the dentist has billed me $1,600 for, and now the 'dental reviewers' woke up and are trying to deny my claim for the crown, due to being not 'medically necessary'. So now I'm not a big fan of my dental insurance.

 

[kevink]

Costco offers low-priced insurance through Delta Dental but only in AZ, CA, FL, MD, NV, OR, PA, TX & WA. We live in AZ and it has saved us quite a bit.

But for major work we'd definitely head back to Lake Chapala in Mexico where we lived for 5 years and had lots of work done. There are a plethora of highly-skilled bilingual dentists there who do everything from routine cleaning and fillings to crowns and root canals for about 20% of U.S. prices. Any city in Mexico where expats congregate will be similarly well-equipped. During our expat years I'd guess that 20% or more of the tourism to our area was folks needing major work on "dental vacations" whereby they could get the work done, spend a week or so on vacation too and still save thousands despite the airfare vs. having the work done at home.

 

[teej1985]

Some vison stuff is covered by Medicare. My dad has issues that require to see an opthamologist and apparently it was covered. Now if you're just seeing a typical optometrist, that's probably not covered. If you lose your teeth in an accident, that could be covered too, as it is under employer plans..

 

[harllee]

Some vison stuff is covered by Medicare. My dad has issues that require to see an opthamologist and apparently it was covered. Now if you're just seeing a typical optometrist, that's probably not covered. If you lose your teeth in an accident, that could be covered too, as it is under employer plans..

At my regular optometrist visit a big chunk of the bill is coved by Medicare--things like checking for glaucoma, etc. Medicare also pays for cataract surgery and I think for one pair of glasses afterwards. Otherwise I don't think Medicare covers glasses or contacts. I get my prescription reading glasses from Zenni--$10 each and they work great.

 

[jrcunniff]

It’s good to know what original Medicare (Parts A and B) doesn’t cover. Some are services commonly needed by seniors:
Dental
Vision
Hearing Aids/Exams for Fittings
Foot Care

Also, it doesn’t cover an Annual Physical. It does cover a Wellness Visit (height, weight, blood pressure, etc.) but not the more thorough physical where they check lungs, abdomen, lab work for blood & urine, etc.)

Some or all of these services may be covered by a Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan, but you would need to read the specific coverage of your plan to determine.

Also, you may be charged a premium to enroll in Part B Medicare (the outpatient portion of coverage), so don’t assume it’s “free” coverage!

 

[audreyh1]

Some vison stuff is covered by Medicare. My dad has issues that require to see an opthamologist and apparently it was covered. Now if you're just seeing a typical optometrist, that's probably not covered. If you lose your teeth in an accident, that could be covered too, as it is under employer plans..

Things requiring surgery like cataracts definitely are covered under Medicare.

Regular eye exams and glasses/contact prescriptions are not.

Things like eye infections, treatments for eye disease are covered.

 

[athena53]

Yes, dental care under Medicare Advantage has many limits and restrictions, including narrow networks. And, as Aerides pointed out, even private insurance doesn't really come through when major work is needed. I remember my first 2 implants, when I had employer-provided coverage. The good news: your insurance pays 40% on major work. The bad news: the cap on what they'll pay in a given year (might have been $2K) has already been reduced for cleanings and fillings done to date so what they'll actually pay is a minimal % of the cost and you're on the hook for any other routine costs through the end of the year.

IIRC last data I saw of humans over>70 was 50% have 11 teeth or less.

That's really sad but I believe it. Coincidentally, I'm seeing my dentist later this AM for what I suspect is an abscess under a tooth holding up one end of a bridge. My best guess is that I'll need a root canal; if the tooth can't be saved I'm looking at two implants, one to replace that tooth and one to fill in the gap. Fortunately I learned from having a husband who was 15 years older that having a comfortable old age can be expensive, and saved accordingly.

When I visited La Paz, Mexico, a couple of years ago there were a lot of dental clinics, undoubtedly for expats and visiting Americans. I'd want to make sure to get recommendations before choosing one.

 

[Bamaman]

It’s good to know what original Medicare (Parts A and B) doesn’t cover. Some are services commonly needed by seniors:
Dental
Vision
Hearing Aids/Exams for Fittings
Foot Care

Also, it doesn’t cover an Annual Physical. It does cover a Wellness Visit (height, weight, blood pressure, etc.) but not the more thorough physical where they check lungs, abdomen, lab work for blood & urine, etc.)

Some or all of these services may be covered by a Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan, but you would need to read the specific coverage of your plan to determine.

Also, you may be charged a premium to enroll in Part B Medicare (the outpatient portion of coverage), so don’t assume it’s “free” coverage!

We had two friends die last year of stage IV lung cancer. They were the last 2 smokers we knew, and hadn't been getting physicals yearly. Had they been having chest x rays, they might have spotted the problem before it was Stage IV.

I'm appalled at the difference geographically for dental care. I've read online of all these $1400-1600 crowns and $2,000 root canals. Our dentists charge about $850 for each. I went 2 days ago to get fitted for a crown on an a $999 implant that many others are paying $3000+ for.

We pay $33 a month for BCBS Dental, and it pays max. $1500 a year. We often get our money's worth, however.

I'm Type II diabetic and my wife has a number of arthritic issues. She's had 3 major surgeries in the last 3 years, and is suffering now after a mid foot fusion. We would never want to use Medicare Advantage because we want to choose the hospital and specialists that are the absolutely best for our conditions. Many hospitals and their doctors' practices don't even accept Medicare Advantage, and small town patients sometimes have to go a county or two away to get care. We changed from Plan G to Plan F so we didn't have to pay 20% for durable goods--like an electric wheelchair, a new insulin pump and supplies. Thankfully my $505 quarterly co-pay on insulin has gone to Part D and it's only $105--big savings.

 

[Koolau]

The dental plan offered by Megacorp wasn't much better than those mentioned here BUT the cost was $18/month for the family. That made it a good deal. When that plan went away, we looked for the equivalent which was about $50/month. IOW it was a monthly charge for essentially a wash. If you used all the services, you came out slightly ahead. Most folks would simply be paying over time instead of all at once. I don't know of any bargains for dental anymore. YMMV

 

[Montecfo]

Bamaman,

I guess there is no need to venture abroad for medical tourism. We can just go to Alabama, maybe recuperate from dental work on the beach...

 

[Chuckanut]

Bamaman,

I guess there is no need to venture abroad for medical tourism. We can just go to Alabama, maybe recuperate from dental work on the beach...

+1

While there are big differences in the prices of medical care between countries there are also some significant differences with the USA depending on where you are. I've known one person who wanted needed bariatric surgery but did not trust Mexican hospitals. She found the surgery for about 40% less in another state. Transportation and lodging cost her $2000 of that savings.

Note: From what I have been told by actual patients who have used them, the Mexican hospitals that specialize in surgery for foreigners are excellent.

 

[W2R]

My brother has serious dental problems (like thousands of dollars per tooth for several teeth type problems). He is on medicare and I was surprised to learn he has no dental coverage.

I would think this would be a big issue that I never hear anyone talk about. Old people are the ones with all the dental problems.

I am 73, and I never had any kind of dental or vision coverage at any time in my entire life. This despite having been a federal employee, and choosing the "Cadillac" federal health insurance that people complain so bitterly about politicians having.

So, it didn't shock me much to find out that Medicare doesn't cover it!

However, Medicare DID cover my cataract surgery, which involves implanting lenses in my eyes where the cataracts were. So essentially I guess it's like getting free LASIK surgery. I don't need glasses any more, except cheap readers for reading.

As for dentistry, my dentist is a compassionate guy and has always given me a 15% discount since I have no dental insurance. I pay him by check or credit card on the way out the door. And yes, dentistry has become a big expense as I have grown older.

 

[Katsmeow]

We had two friends die last year of stage IV lung cancer. They were the last 2 smokers we knew, and hadn't been getting physicals yearly. Had they been having chest x rays, they might have spotted the problem before it was Stage IV.
.

Many smokers/former smokers can get lung cancer screening CT scans annually under Medicare.

https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/lung-cancer-screenings

I guess they don't scan after 77 because they figure that if you have not signs or symptoms of lung cancer by then that you aren't likely to develop it after that age.

So I don't know about your friends but if they met that criteria they could have gotten the screening CTs.