How much is Ross' teeth and surgery going to cost?

[Ross]

The original price, for dental surgeon and dental only including permanent dentures, not the hospital or hospitalization is $8832.00.

With the 30% discount if, and only if, I make the payment the day before surgery is $6182.40.

Ross cannot do that! Ross will be damn lucky if he can come up with $5000.

Further haggling and complaining, I gained another 7% off, so now the total is $5564.16 due and payable the day before surgery. I wanted a full 40% at least, but they won't go any lower.

People I'm so screwed. I've scrimped and saved everything that people have sent to me over the years, hoping to buy some furniture and take care of a few household things, but it's not going to happen now. It's all going to medical bills AGAIN. I've saved up $3000 and will have to add another $1000 from our already strained account, putting us in line for bankruptcy and I'm still $2364.16 short. I will need the additional $800 for the my hospital co payment.

To top it all off, I've filed and asked for an expedited decision on my Out of Plan referral from the HMO and the required 72 hours has past and I have no answer as to whether it is approved or not. If they won't cover the hospitalization, I cannot get this done. No way possible at all. They have completely dropped the ball on my appeals, seem to have dropped the ball on my referral and here I sit with 2 infections and 5 more ready to do the same at any time they feel like it. I contacted my Senator and got a call from his office today. They are going to pursue this further tomorrow and also I have an advocate and attorney working on it.

Bottom line is this, there is $0 dental coverage with Medicare and only hospitalization coverage if admitted due to underlying medical conditions which I more then qualify for.
This is not an option for me but has turned into an emergency and I just can't get these people to understand, not even with my PCP and Cardiologist faxing documentation to them. I told Lyn that if I get Endocarditis and die from it, to be sure and sue them and TAKE ALL THERE MONEY FROM THEM!

I appreciate people PMing with ideas. Fact of the matter is, I've been working on this since December and I've exhausted every possible solution outside of becoming an illegal and going postal about the whole thing. There are no other options left.

Sorry for the rant, but I'm in serious trouble here and I''m pretty much coming apart at the seems.

 

[Mary]

They won't take payments on account?

 

[marie]

Ross
I wish I had some words of wisdom or some magic wand but I don't

I will pray that something comes up that will enable you to have this done. Please keep us posted.
Earline

 

[skeptic49]

I keep re-reading your post, Ross, and wondering what the answer is- there must be one. I wish I knew what to say or do. For now I just felt like I wanted to respond - I'm sure that the rest of the VR gang are on your team too!

Jim

 

[ponygirlmom]

I contacted my Senator and got a call from his office today. They are going to pursue this further tomorrow and also I have an advocate and attorney working on it.

I am really glad to hear about the senator, the advocate and the attorney.

(Oh, dear.... that sounds like the beginning of a dirty joke!)

At any rate, you have official-type people in your corner.

 

[Ross]

They won't take payments on account?

No. $8832.00 and they might, but with the discount, no and it's got to be paid up front. Even if they did, it wouldn't help. Our finances are at the breaking point and have been for some time. After putting the required sewer in and generating 2 more bills because of it, we are tapped out. It really ticks me that when they ask you financial questions, they don't take into account after taxes, they shouldn't be allowed to include disability income, and they should pay attention to outstanding debt. Were already in debt by $5000, but at least those accounts are taking payments.

Wonder if I can pimp myself out on Ebay?

 

[aussigal]

We are still trying to win lotto every week so then I can send you the required fee. I wish you guys had the same access to free public hospital medical and dental health as we do.

Whinge as loudly as you want Rossman,,,,we all sympathise and want to help.

 

[tobagotwo]

I can only think of how quickly they will go through your money. It will take a very short time for them to pull all of the teeth. About $8,000/hour for elevator and plier work. IT'S NOT SURGERY. Painful and traumatic for the patient, but the act of taking them out isn't surgery. They should be ashamed for this level of greed, where they call a pig a ballerina and charge you front row prices to watch the dance.

I agree that a state dental school would be a better option. I know a number of people who have uesd that option, and they were extemely well cared for.

Best wishes,

 

[Ross]

I can only think of how quickly they will go through your money. It will take a very short time for them to pull all of the teeth. About $8,000/hour for elevator and plier work. IT'S NOT SURGERY. Painful and traumatic for the patient, but the act of taking them out isn't surgery. They should be ashamed for this level of greed, where they call a pig a ballerina and charge you front row prices to watch the dance.

I agree that a state dental school would be a better option. I know a number of people who have used that option, and they were extremely well cared for.

Best wishes,

I can't make it to Ohio State. Case Western is a possibility though it would be extremely difficult, but even there, it's the same thing. % off of regular pricing.

Prospective Patients


The primary role of the Case School of Dental Medicine Clinical Education Program is the training of dental health professionals. Patients seen at the Dental School are an important part of the dental education. Patients are charged a fee to defray operating costs of the clinic in return for dental services. Fees are usually found to be about half the cost of going to a private dental office.

Fee Payments
Our clinics operate on a cash basis. There is a non-refundable fee of approximately $80.00 to initiate a patient record and to admit you as a patient of the school. Additional payment is expected when services are rendered. Your payments can be cash, check, MasterCard or Visa. No other payment methods are accepted

http://dental.case.edu/patients/

Just looked at OSU and the same deal, 30% off according to the application with a family of 2 in our income range. If they didn't count Soc Sec Disability, it would put us in the 50% off cat, but don't care where you go or what your applying for, they count SSDI as income.

Just to clarify the job at hand
Surgical removal of 4 impacted wisdom teeth
Surgical removal of 8 other broken off or partially existing teeth (virtually all of my molars or steak chewers, upper and lower)
Extraction of the remaining 19 teeth
Prepare the upper and lower jaws for dentures

 

[netmiff]

come to Canada - it has to be cheaper here . . . . even if you have to pay as you would not be covered under our health care.

 

[hensylee]

I have Ross' address; if anyone wants it just pm me.

Thanks.

 

[Mary]

I have Ross' address; if anyone wants it just pm me.

Thanks.

Thanks, Ann, for making this offer. I hope those who want to contact Ross can now do so.

 

[Freddie]

This really sucks.......with a capital "S"
Wish our dollar was doing better.
I'll try to do something for you.

There might be.........Ross how much would it cost for you to just get ........hell what do you call it.......impression of your bite - so they can make dentures.
Just the impression thats it. I could contact my cousin who does this kind of thing, I could contact her if you like and see what she says? Would that help you any?

 

[hensylee]

This really sucks.......with a capital "S"
Wish our dollar was doing better.
I'll try to do something for you.

There might be.........Ross how much would it cost for you to just get ........hell what do you call it.......impression of your bite - so they can make dentures.
Just the impression thats it. I could contact my cousin who does this kind of thing, I could contact her if you like and see what she says? Would that help you any?

I think it's the actuall extraction of the teeth that is so expensive.

I hope an answer can be found to get this done. Ross is in danger of being very, very ill if he doesn't get those infected teeth out of there.

If anyone wants to help, I ahve his address.

 

[hall]

I sure hope there is a solution for you Ross. Sorry this is such a nightmare for you. Maybe one of us will win the lottery. Prayers.

 

[Ross]

This saga only continues to get worse. Now I'm out of antibiotics, my doctor is out of town for the week, I've called and called the dental clinic and they have not returned my calls and now, the on call doctor is giving me a hard time about giving me 10 more days of Amoxicillin! You'd think I was asking for 30 days of Percocet or something.

Why can't these people understand common sense reasoning? Has the whole world become completely stupid?

 

[Karlynn]

Here in lies one of the many reasons a doctor must prove to me that they have intelligence and common-sense. An MD or DO after their name doesn't prove it.

 

[geebee]

Unfortunately it is probably due to our legal system (sorry to all of our attorney members). There needs to be way too much CYA stuff these days or a medical practice goes out of business. Not that all doctors are together but......

I have received 3 checks in the last month from a couple class action suits against American Express. One was for $0.85, the second for $25 and the third for $8.65.

I would love to see the checks that went to the attorneys. They are often the only ones to benefit while we all sit out here unable to live our lives because people are afraid of lawsuits.

Ross, I am so sorry you are going through all this. I would be more than happy to send my class action lawsuit checks to you if it would help.

 

[Ross]

This just gets more and more unbelieveable as time goes by.

Well after explaining to the nurse like 5 times why I need the antibiotics, the Doctor finally recanted and ordered them. Now I'm supposed to run and get my INR checked now and then again on Monday. I told her I'm a self doser and self tester and that Amoxicillin doesn't affect INR anyhow, but she insisted on numbers, so I did it 3.1. .1 above what I tested on my normal test day.

The HMO called to let me know they uphold there denial for dental extractions and dentures, but not one word on my out of plan referral for hospitalization so I called. Nothing about it in the system despite my Doctors faxes last Friday and another fax with a follow up copy in the mail on Saturday, from me. They have 72 hours to respond to a fast decision and it's been well beyond 72 hours. I'm losing it here. I'm about to make the evening news very soon. People can't possibly be this stupid can they?

I have a call in to one of the persons my Advocate spoke to and I hope she knows something, because according to her, it was going to the medical director for a decision. Now I'm thinking these bone heads have the two issues confused and think it's one.

I'm going to need some real good drugs soon to keep from being breaking news on CNN.

 

[Bonzo Dog]

I'm going to need some real good drugs soon to keep from being breaking news on CNN.

Is there much opium in Ohio?



(thinks)..... Probably in fact easier to obtain than amoxicillin.