@teriwitt, and she’s going to have to pay another $1000 +/- to crown any root canal molar or it will likely crack & break and have to be pulled or retreated! I know an endodontist who has each client sign multiple places to acknowledge the cost because people dispute the charge on the CC. And if someone has a multi day treatment, they must pay in full day 1, as many simply do not come back once out of pain.
Why do teeth not count as our body & our health for health insurance? Isn’t it interesting that at some point in history it was decided not to count them, even though dental pain is some of the worst every day pain and bad teeth can cause all sorts of medical issues, even heart problems.
Even those of us with dental insurance often have to pay through the nose for procedures. I have pretty good dental insurance and a crown is still costing $400 OOP. I need 2 crowns but am putting off the 2nd one until next year since my insurance only covers one/year. Luckily it’s not super urgent and if needed, I could pay the full cost OOP, but fortunately I am not in that situation right now.
Yes. I would put it on a credit card. I like to say that I live paycheck to paycheck but it’s not entirely accurate. When I budget for the month, every extra dollar is sent to my financial planner for investing. Any unexpected expenses that pop up that month go on the credit card to be paid in full the next month. This has worked well for me and my savings rate is much higher than most as a result.
My last crown was over $900. And that was at least 10 years ago. I want to go to your dentist.
I have good dental insurance, yet I have spent about 7000 on periodontal work out of pocket since October. If I had less resources, that work just wouldn’t have gotten done.
My D and her H both have modest incomes, but are frugal enough to have bought a cheap house in an expensive area, though it’s on the “wrong” side of town and needs a lot of work. They’ve been chipping away at renovation.
However, her recent miscarriage is severely taxing them. She has had weeks of complications and multiple medical procedures and many doctor visits. The copay and the co-insurance have added up to a good chunk of what a birth would have cost them. She’s used up all her sick days and vacation days and more, so not getting paid for some days. This on top of the heartache.
We’re here to step in if necessary, though they’re struggling along right now. But with a tinge less support and savings, they’d be in a lot of trouble.
It’s tough that the folks who used to provide the safety net back in the day are often needing the safety net themselves, like my friends the two teachers! Their D is still living at the grandparents’ studio (converted garage), so they can save money.
@Garland, sorry about your dental costs and your D’s expenses and complications and miscarriage. It’s so tough that in addition to the medical costs, lost wages and vacation, there are so many medical costs with your D’s miscarriage. Thank goodness you are there to be your D’s safety net.
Thanks, @HImom ! The dental expenses are part of the cost of doing business in one’s late 50s. But for my D and her H, it just kills me to see what they are going through. 
Financial trouble on top of, as Himom put it, heartache is a terrible combination. Wishing you and your daughter the best, Garland.
So many of these stories just prove to me how much we need universal healthcare. The whole idea of healthcare being employer based is so wrong and outdated.
@garland So sorry about your daughter. The last thing she should be worried about right now is medical bills.
Yes, while we were waiting for D’s insurance status to be sorted out, she got bills for 3 visits and some blood testing. The total of the bills was over $10K. They said that since her insurance ended in December, they would treat her as self-pay, in spite of us having explained the situation–that we were still clarifying her insurance status.
D also opted not to seek additional medical care (which she should have gotten) while things were in limbo. Fortunately, it’s now all been straightened out and she will likely owe something like $45 out of all the bills. It has been a stressful time getting this resolved.
We are going to get D to get additional care now, including the 9-Valentine HPV injections. My best memory as that she never got all 3 shots of the prior HPV vaccines back in the day (she MAY have gotten one or even two), so she needs to get this series now at age 26.
Oh garland, so sorry for your D.
My mom who is living on a shoestring is having dental problems. She would have to dig into her meager savings.
I just looked and she has a dental school in her town. Does anyone know if this is something she could possibly use to help her with the costs. She needs to have a bridge replaced. She has no dental insurance. Didn’t seem to think she needed it, as she would have been paying premiums and didn’t need any work until now.
Shaking my head, because she is a state employee retiree and has had really good health insurance.
Pizzagirl #20. Sorry. I did see the title but never even opened the thread quite honestly. I would not have started this if I had known. But I guess it is generating some more ( anything different?) discussion.
So sorry about your D and her H garland. Hope for much happiness from now on.
I am always amazed when people I know, who make an okay salary but spend it in silly ways and then can’t afford it for things they really need. I work with a woman who is always buying thirty-one bags, other home party items and stops every, single day at McDonalds. She didn’t know how she would pay for brakes on her car. That very day, she bought a bunch of essential oils from a friend. People can spend their money anyway they want but then quit complaining that you don’t have any!
@garland I am so, so sorry for your daughter and her husband.
No one should have to worry about hospital bills when they’re already mourning… but unfortunately in our system, it is more often than not that ridiculous hospital bills go along with heartbreak and mourning.
Yes, I have a relative who buys takeout or eats out with his W and 2 kids every meal, every day plus golfing as often as he desires, plus always getting new cars and then whines at how he has no savings despite high income because one of their two Ds is attending private school. Sorry–no sympathy from me.
On the other hand, the folks who are doing their darnedest to stretch their money with stagnating earnings and just having a tough time with paying essential few frills have my full sympathy.
@garland-sincere condolences to your D and her husband.
I recently learned that a family member has HUGE credit card debt. I was staggered by the number. I don’t think it’s the “well, I guess we just frittered it away” debt, but rather paying for college tuition and life cycle events. (Trying not to be too identifiable.) But, query whether those were good choices to make?
To answer the OP’s question, yes, we would have no problem coming up with 6 months worth of expenses, honestly, much more than that, and I am quite sure that our 3 kids could certainly come up with $400 at the very minimum.
Somehow, putting things in CC that you are unlikely to pay off very promptly seems like a very expensive and dangerous practice. The interest rates are outrageous for such sums!
I just paid $400 the other day to fix my a/c… guy said there was no way to know how long it would stay fixed, bleh.
My mom was a very young single parent and pretty poor. She often did without so I wouldn’t have to.