Dental Insurance. Biting on the cost for private treatment
This spring the British Government is forcing a new service
contract on dentists including new pay scales, changes in
opening hours and surgery arrangements.
Now dentists are not normally a complaining profession, but
there's now open rebellion amongst them about this new contract.
And they're determined not to be bullied.
As a result, thousands of dentists are refusing to accept the
new contract and will quit the NHS at the end of March. This
will create mayhem for clients - and especially for the five
million of us who seek emergency treatment for toothache each
year!
Many clients seeking treatment on the NHS will just be refused
treatment. And those dentists who accept the new NHS contract
will face a flood of new clients. The vast majority will again
be turned away as even before this dental bust up, there was an
appalling shortage of dentists. Waiting lists are bound to
stretch into the ether!
As a result, if you're desperate for treatment to a broken tooth
or an abscess, or even want a check up, you'll be forced to
search out one of the community based and NHS operated dental
surgeries. If you're not sure where to find one, ask your Doctor
for details of the closest to you. Unfortunately, the odds are
it'll be miles away. Long journeys and a hospital style queue
will be the norm. Getting dental treatment will be a days job!
For many of us, going private is the only practical solution.
The cynical amongst us may suspect that that's what the
Government wanted all along!
Going private means getting an appointment when you want one
rather than waiting for ages with the NHS, and the ability to
pick and choose your dentist. But it won't be cheap. The only
good news is there are solutions to control your costs.
Essentially you have four financial options: pay yourself as you
go, dental insurance, capitalisation schemes or cash plans.
Let's consider the financial help you can buy:
Dental Insurance
The insurance industry has responded with a wide range of
varying dental insurance policies. The following are just a few
typical examples to give you a favour:
The Axa PPP Healthcare's Dental Costguard policy is designed to
cover you just for dental emergencies and not routine work -
you'll have to pay those cost all by yourself. But emergency
treatment often works out expensive so Axa's policy does have
merit. Axa's benefits include:
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