Dentists :)

[marina]

Hi guys:)
so 6 months ago I went to my dentist for the bi-annyal teeth cleaning and checkup, and she pretty much yelled at me saying that I need to floss or else my gums will fall out or something horrible like that... :)
So (out of fear for my gums and out of fear of the dentist being mean to me) I have been flossing EVERY day since that apptmt..

Today I went to the dentist and guess what? She said my gums have improved tremendously and now they're perfect!!! wow...

so flossing DOES work!!!! who knew!
:)

p.s. moral of the story - do things out of fear :) haha

[ulfdog]

As one of the 47 million of American without medical coverage, I have come to realize how important a little preventive care can be. :)

[marina]

As one of the 47 million of American without medical coverage, I have come to realize how important a little preventive care can be. :)

a lot of my friends don't have health insurance either.. and it's so scary..
since I don't have a "regular" job, I buy my own insurance, about $135 a month (covers dental cleaning also).. but apparently it's really cheap... one of my friends is 60 years old and she was paying over $700 a month for her own health insurance when she was in between jobs. I think it's insanity!!!
i can't imagine what I would have done without health insurance when I had my emergency gallbladder surgery last year.. the bill was $17,000 (and my insurance paid for most of it).
crazy world we live in!!

p.s. one of the good things about USSR was the universal health care. there was no money involved whatsoever (only for medicine, which was really, really cheap).

[Tiffany]

Wow, Marina...$135 a month IS really affordable for your insurance:).

[Nuno]

Well, at least in Portugal it goes like that (but most of the other countries is similar).

> don't have insurance but i am thinking in buying some, private health is better in some situations.
> have to deduct 11% from my pay to state social security (pays for unemployment and public health care)
> my employer (me, since I am my own boss) has to pay extra 21.25% for the same reason.
> dental and optical are out of this package (well you can wait a long time though) , but everything else is included, pregnancy, cancer treatments, etc. The doctors and equipments are generally very good, problem can be waiting times.

So I think it's still better than the USA. Specially for the poor guys, who can have standard public health even if they have nothing else.

But Norway is much better, tell us Milla ?

[Imajica]

I heared that some people in the US have a second job just to cover their health insurance. Overhere in The Netherlands we have pretty good health insurance. Several years ago it was really cheap but we went the 'american way' and it has become more expensive. I pay about 100 euro per month now, and it covers almost everything.

[TheMilla]

all free in norway, u pay ur taxes and that's that.
not dentist tho, mouth and eyes are not a part of the body according to the rules o_O and it's really expencive!!!

no smileyface behind the word dentists, please..doesn't quite go thogether, now do they? lol

[ulfdog]

I heared that some people in the US have a second job just to cover their health insurance.

Imajica,

Unfortunately what you have heard is true. Also there are people in the states who are working more than one job and still can’t afford health insurance. Here in Taos they have what they call the Taos Two Step, it not a dance step, but an economic plan where people have to work two or three jobs just to survive. It’s not unusual to walk into a market, shop or even a bank and see where people are asking for donations to help with someone’s medical bills. The other problem here in the US and one that I hope our president still plans to push in his plans to reform the healthcare system, is people being disqualified for having a preexisting illness. I wouldn’t mind paying $135 a month as Marina does or the equivalent 100 euro per month as long as I was guaranteed I could get coverage. When I tried to get medical insurance a couple years ago I was told that I wouldn’t be excepted because I had been diagnosed with high cholesterol, as was my sister because she is diabetic. :(

[Imajica]

Overhere they can't refuse someone because of preexisting illness fortunately. But you never know what the future will bring us.