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Let me (a non-American) explain why you’re wrong:First off, 90% of 327.2 million people means that 10% (or 32.72 million Americans) aren’t covered by such a system. That, for reference, means that the system isn’t nearly close to universal.Your system is a profit-led healthcare system: in other words, you have to buy into it via insurance policies. Although some are paid for by your employer (which is considered part of your renumeration, and therefore means you’ll receive reduced wages compared to a country with a universal system), many have to purchase private insurance policies. That can prove to be absurdly expensive.That being so, bear in mind: you’re not simply covering the cost of healthcare for yourself when you purchase your policy. You’re covering profits for the health insurance industry, as well as those of the various hospital bureaucrats and administrators needed to process your insurance. And then there’s the profit for the hospital, which of course has to be added into the equation. All that before you receive a single minute of treatment.Also note that insurance is based off possibility of illness/injury. If you take out a policy and never claim for treatment, your insurance company has made a significant profit without giving you anything in exchange. You might want to take note of examples like these:Big 8 health insurers rake in more than $7B in Q3, setting up strong finish to 2018Here's how the top insurers performed in the 2nd quarter of 2019Cigna raises full-year earnings target for 2019A universal healthcare system isn’t focused on making profit, but rather on provision of healthcare by providing full coverage for every single member of society. This is paid for by taxation: everyone pays a little (someone earning £25,000pa would contribute roughly £5000 in tax, with 1/5th of that going to the NHS). Compare that to the US: for the average individual, a reasonably comprehensive policy will cost around $300–500 per month, which comes to $3600–6000 per year, and that’s not including co-pays or deductibles.Speaking of which: the US system also charges co-pays and deductibles: amounts that must be paid by you before your insurance kicks in. That can add up fast - and isn’t something that exists in a universal system. In the UK, we pay a flat £9 fee per prescription (regardless of the medication) - the painkillers I take for my spinal damage would cost me 1,289.71 in the US for a 30-day supply at three tablets per day. Here? It cost me £9. In the US? Seeing a doctor for a quick assessment about a minor problem can set you back $250 before cost of any treatment provided.Dental and Eye care is also supplemented in a universal system - in some countries, it’s completely free, though most employ a subsidised system that sets a fixed cost for dental treatment and eye tests, with additional charges for purchasing glasses etc (depending on the frames/lenses you buy).Do bear in mind: that means that every other aspect is free at point of access. You’re not charged for being transported by ambulance (whereas, in the US, it’s around $1000 for an ambulance, and an air ambulance is around $15–20,000), nor for check-ups or any other form of treatment. That includes scans, tests, surgery, physio…you name it, it’s paid for.This is primarily derived from a single-payer system: there’s only one entity paying for services, and that’s the government. As such, any company that wants to provide services or equipment must negotiate a contract with the government, and that means that it’s easier to bring prices down: after all, companies will want a contract, and that means they must bid for them at a competitive reasonable rate. There’s no inflation of charges in the way that you’ll find with a private system.I’d also note that the US has a significant problem beyond merely provision of care: if it’s going to cost you $250 out-of-pocket just to go and see a doctor, you’re far less likely to seek medical treatment early on. Combine that with a lack of sick pay for employees in many instances, and you find yourself dealing with employees who will go to work even when they are sick (and thereby putting themselves and others at risk!), in addition to the fact that many will avoid seeking treatment until such time as their condition becomes severe enough to demand it. That invariably costs more than it would have done had the individual simply seen a doctor when their symptoms first developed.The US is the only major developed nation in the world not to employ a system of universal healthcare. If you think yours is universal…try seeing a doctor without having to fork over a co-pay. Try getting surgery without being landed with a significant bill, for things not covered by your insurance. Just try and obtain treatment without first having to go through a truckload of paperwork to confirm that you’re insured. Better yet - try seeking treatment from a hospital that’s not within your insurance company’s coverage area.I live in a country with universal healthcare. I can walk into any doctor’s surgery or hospital anywhere in the country, and I’ll never be asked for insurance details, nor charged so much as a bent penny for seeing a doctor or receiving treatment, beyond perhaps the cost of my prescription (again, £9 for whatever I need!). I don’t have co-pays or deductibles, and I’m not burdened by a huge tax rate that leaves me unable to pay my rent and other expenses.If you think you’ve got universal care, you’re wrong. Worse still, if you think having more than 30 million people being unable to access any form of healthcare is appropriate for a wealthy developed nation…I’d say you need to reassess your values.The US needs to catch up with the rest of the world, and start treating her citizens as something of value that must be protected and cared for, rather than as an expendable resource that exists solely to be exploited.

Penny has given some good advice. Let me just add to what she has said.BACKGROUNDIn the US, dental services are delivered outside of the medical care system; dentists are trained and licensed separately from medical doctors. Some, understandibly, find this, as well as the US dental insurance system, difficult to navigate. Keep in mind, however, that, as confusing as our system might be, dental delivery and financing systems and markets are highly developed in the US, with specially trained and licensed dentists—this began in 1840, when the first dental school opened in Baltimore. About 20 years later, the American Dental Association was created.SELECTING YOUR DENTAL INSURANCE PLAN (“plan” for short)There are basically 3 possibilities for most types of dental insurance. (You may or may not be given a choice; large employers usually offer more than one choice):Least expensive: Dental HMO, or DHMO, refers to a closed “panel” network-based Plan; dentists are contracted with the insurance company; you must select, or be assigned to, a dentist office; you can see any Network dentist you wish, but you MUST go in-network—there are no out of network benefits. There’s also no deductibles, and no annual maximums. These features can save you money, but the trade off might be longer appointment wait times, and a potential for dentists to under-treat. (They get paid a fixed monthly capitation fee per patient per month, whether or not patients have treatment.) Many common services, such as exams, x-rays, cleanings and some fillings and extractions, have Zero Copays, meaning no out of pocket cost to you. If your insurance booklet lists virtually every dental procedure and code, with corresponding dollar amounts, you’re likely in a DHMO. If there’s an issue with your care, the insurance company may be able to help.Mid-range price: Dental PPO (PPO=preferred provider): there’s a network of contracted dentists in place, but you have the choice to see a network dentist (referred to as “in network”), or to go out of network. Visiting a network dentist could save you money. I tend to favor this option, as it provides the best of both worlds: cost savings, while maximizing choice. Also, for #1 and #2, dentists are contracted with the Insurance Company. The existence of a contract between insurer and dentist, provides Common US dental insurance companies include Delta Dental, United Concordia, MetLife, Aetna, Cigna, to name a few. If your insurance booklet talks about how you may save money by seeing a network dentist, you’ve probably got a PPO. Again, the insurance company may be able to help if a dispute arises. One big benefit of using a contracted dentist, is a process called “predetermination”, whereby you can find out, before you have the work done, exactly what your total out-of-pocket cost share will be. I highly recommend this—-especially if you need a lot of work done.Most expensive: a traditional, old-fashioned, dental insurance plan with no network. No contracted dentists. See any dentist you wish, pay them, then submit an insurance claim form (the office will complete this for you), submit it to the insurance company, and receive reimbursement for a portion of the cost. The insurance company has little to no leverage, when it comes to resolving disputes.USING YOUR INSURANCEThink of an insurance policy like a savings account, only instead of dollars, you’ve got dental procedures expressed in dollars. Your insurance “bank” renews every year. There’s also an incredible amount of terminology to understand, so let me explain the basics:Annual maxim: the dollar amount of dental care the Plan will cover (pay) in any given year. Typically ranges from $1,000 - $2,000. If you need a lot of work, you can maximize the benefits to you by spreading your work out over more than a single year. Example/Pro Tip: Say, you needed $3,000 work of work done, and let’s further assume your annual maximum is $1,000 and, for simplicity, that there are no deductibles or copayments. If you:-have all the work done in year 1, you get $1,000 paid by insurance, and you pay the other $2,000.*-have the work spread out over three years, you get $3,000 paid by insurance, and you don’t owe anything *Clearly, it’s well worthwhile to understand your dental insurance plan and how to use it in the most cost-effective way for you.Deductible: the amount you must pay out-of-pocket in any given year, before the Plan will begin paying.Allowed charge: that procedure-specific dollar amount allowed by the Plan. All deductibles and cooays occur in this context. You could receive an additional bill, called a Balance Bill, for any amounts in excess of allowed charges. (I know, it’s confusing, but stick with me…)Coinsurance/copayment: the share of the cost the Plan pays for a given procedure; procedures are grouped into categories. Preventive/diagnostic services usually have zero copayment, with copayments increasing as a percentage of cost, as the cost and complexity of the procedure increases. Example: your booklet may say something like: “the Plan pays 100% of allowed charges for preventive/diagnostic care, 80% for basic restorative (fillings, extractions, possibly some periodontics and endodontics), and 50% for major services.”Lifetime maximum: If orthodontics are covered, there’s a dollar limit per person per lifetime, usually between $1,000 and $2,000. This means that once insurance payout reaches this amount, you’re responsible for the rest.*For simplicity, this example assumes there are no deductibles or copaymentsNow, armed with this information, and what Penny has explained about how to interact with dental offices, you’re ready to visit the dentist!Cathye L Smithwick, RDH, MAAuthor: Dental Benefits, A Guide To Managed Plans, 3rd Ed

Q: Why can't we have a national healthcare system based on Medicare?We absolutely could!Sadly, were it not for the boneheads in congress who think that their job is to represent mainly the wealthiest 1% of the people (who are also the biggest campaign contributors) and the health insurance industry, we would probably already have Medicare for all.Wealthy people don’t need health insurance because they have the funds to pay any costs out of pocket, so, naturally, they don’t support any national health insurance plans.Also, the big health insurance carriers (Anthem, Aetna, Kaiser, Humana, Cigna, United Health, and Highmark) would all stand to lose billions in profits—as would the pharmaceutical companies.Many of the medical problems (that are also usually more expensive to treat) are random and unpredictable. A wealthy person would have the funds to pay for treatment, but 99% of people simply wouldn’t.The forces against any national health insurance plan are formidable, and they are fully prepared to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing and advertising that is intended to persuade people into voting against their own best interests.Here is the truth.98% of us need to have health insurance.Although we could diligently set aside money for medical care during all of our working lives, we still wouldn’t have anywhere near the hundreds of thousands (in some rare cases, millions) of dollars that it can require to treat any of a host of known medical problems — many of which require very expensive medications for years.Some examples:A bone marrow transplant (commonly used to treat leukemia) costs between $300,000 and $800,00.Coronary bypass surgery costs $75,000 — not including hospitalization, medications, and follow-up care.Aids medications cost about $18,000 per year.Insulin costs about $12,000 per year.If you’re lucky and you can work, you might be able to get a group health insurance policy, but the sad fact is that no private insurance carrier is going to issue an individual health insurance policy to anyone with heart disease, diabetes, aids, cancer, high blood pressure, or any other “high-risk” health issue.It’s no surprise that the single biggest cause of bankruptcy is medical costs.(From: Top 5 Reasons Why People Go Bankrupt)“A study done at Harvard University indicates that this is the biggest cause of bankruptcy, representing 62% of all personal bankruptcies. One of the interesting caveats of this study shows that 78% of filers had some form of health insurance, thus bucking the myth that medical bills affect only the uninsured.”As it happens, we have a solution for this problem. It’s called insurance.Insurance is simply a way of spreading out a financial risk over a large enough number of people to minimise the impact for any individual.Most people don’t understand how insurance works. Everybody wants to have their medical costs paid for when they are incurred, but they really don’t want to pay for the insurance until after they need it. This isn’t how it works, however. The way it’s supposed to work is that everybody pays a little into the insurance fund over time, so that the funds will be available when needed.Insurance companies can use historical data to accurately predict the amount of money needed to pay for medical costs for a large population. They also can, and do, relate these costs to different “risk classes” such as age, sex, location, occupation, and known medical history. Most people don’t know that every time they file a health insurance claim, there is a database record created that all of the insurance companies share and have access to.One problem with this is that the insurance companies (for-profit companies) can use this data to select which risks they want to accept and which they don’t. A lot of people who apply for health insurance are, therefore, simply rejected.Another issue is that insurance companies can make health insurance premiums really expensive for those in higher risk segments.There are several serious underlying problems with the healthcare system in the USA. Most of these are related to the for-profit delivery of health care services, equipment, facilities resources, pharmaceuticals and research.Not everyone is required to be part of the insurance risk pool. A lot of younger or healthier people don’t see the need for health insurance. They rarely go to the doctor and don’t need any prescription drugs, so it seems like a huge waste of money to buy insurance. What they don’t understand is that by paying for it when they don’t need it, insurance premiums become lower and average out overall. And, as I said, there is no way to know if you will be affected by some disease or injury that is extremely expensive to treat. (This can happen to people who are young or otherwise healthy.)Private insurance companies are not required to accept a risk. Once the insurance company finds out that an individual has any of a number of known health issues (like high blood pressure, cancer, cardio-vascular problems, or any chronic problem) they simply refuse to accept the risk. Most people have group health insurance though their employers, but those who are not members of a group policy may find that they simply can’t get health insurance.Insurance carriers limit their liability. Private carriers set maximum annual and lifetime limits on benefits. If actual medical expenses exceed the limit, then the individual is responsible for costs.Medical service providers and pharmaceutical companies can charge whatever they want to. Price-gouging and profiteering are common.Medical service providers can refuse to join insurance company networks (where costs are pre-determined) This is one outcome of the ongoing struggle between medical service providers and insurance companies.The way to fix this whole problem is with a hybrid system that combines the financial power of the government with the administrative efficiency of private insurance carriers.Although the Affordable Care Act (aka: “Obamacare) was able to solve the problems associated with pre-existing conditions, the concept of multi-carrier, state-level, insurance risk “pools” at the heart of of the ACA was poorly thought out, inefficient, and destined to fail. It was done as a compromise to keep private insurance carriers in control.As it turns out, however, private insurance carriers are reluctant to participate (because too few are participating) and too many people who have expensive medical conditions are in the risk pool.This can’t be fixed. It’s a fatal flaw.What we need is for the government to assume the major part of the financial burden associated with health insurance and then allow the private market to participate as value-added service providers.Essentially, the solution is to use Medicare as the financial “foundation” for universal health insurance and then allow private insurance carriers to provide supplemental or “wrap-around” insurance for those who desire (and can afford) better coverage. The “wrap around” coverage (also called “Medicare Advantage”) carriers would actually handle filing the the Medicare claim on behalf of the service provider.Employers could offer the supplemental insurance coverage as a benefit for employees for much less than they are paying to subsidize group policies.I have Medicare “Advantage” insurance and my premiums are $119/month (plus the $134/month for Medicare part B premiums). This insurance covers everything with very low deductibles and copays and even includes excellent drug and dental benefits as well. This is “PPO” coverage, so I can go to any doctor I want to. The network of service providers is very extensive. I can also still go to out-of-network doctors but the co-pays are higher.Medicare-for-all would have the financial power that can come only from universal participation. It would provide the government financial backing that is absolutely necessary to cover larger major medical expenses. Government participation would also provide the “clout” to push back on unreasonably escalating medical and drug costs.As a former insurance agent, I can wholeheartedly say that Medicare for all is definitely the way to go.