Question:
My brother recently subscribed to Argus dental, but I have since
discovered they are a scam, described at http://www.scambusters.com .
My brother has already had a bogus charge on his credit card by a
company he has never heard of named cashbackcruise.com.
I find this country's laws completely inadequate regarding this type of
illegal activity -- I just saw another advertisement from Argus last night!
Subsequently, by brother is looking for a reasonably priced, legitimate
dental plan. Could someone please recommend one?
Answer:
This question comes up almost daily on this group. I hate to tell you this,
but the short answer to your question is "no". I am sure that one of the
professionals here will soon ring in with a more complete answer, but it
will still come down to "no". No one would sell you health insurance while
you are en route to the hospital, and no one is going to sell you true,
honest, individual dental insurance without looking in your mouth.
I find this difficult to believe; After all, you can get medical insurance which will
pay out MUCH more for treatment than the insurance costs, typically up to a
million dollars. Why isn't this the case with dentistry?
If you personally buy dental insurance, the
plan is skewed to screw you over.
The know that the patients with perfect teeth, or the ones who got
their bridgework last year are not buying their insurance.
On the other hand, they will sell decent dental insurance to EMPLOYERS
-- with say, 1,000 employees. Out of the 1,000 employees, 500 will
never go -- too scared. Another 250 have very good teeth, and a few
others will take advantage of it!
Well, I guess that's why there are discount plans. I've found one named
OneDental which gives you a listing of participating dentists in your area,
and their fees. I told my brother to call some of the dentists to determine
if the fee schedule is correct. I've also spoken to individuals who are satisfied
with the savings they've received with the plan.
I can see why some dentists are opposed to these types of plans --
If they don't subscribe, they don't get the business.
