How do so many lower income families afford braces for their teens?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine was $2500 and dental insurance paid 1k. This was in 2021. It just wasn’t that expensive IMO.

60% of American families don't have $1,000 cash for an emergency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not true that it has to be extreme. But I doubt orthodontists are getting rich off Medicaid rates, generally Medicaid pays less for a service than private insurance does.

They're mostly certainly still billing Medicaid thousands of dollars. That's better than the $0 they'd collect from these patients otherwise.

Yep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re a two parent house, college educated, decent careers. Even with supposed good insurance we really struggled to pay for braces for our two oldest. My youngest daughter plays on a cheap YMCA sports league and it seems basically every lower income teen her age has braces. Meanwhile we’re still saving $ to put her in braces. Where do they all find the $ for orthodontia? I’m at a loss as to how this is possible.

You aren't eligible for any social assistance like lower income families are.

[Anonymous]

Braces should be free for all kids who really need it for preventative care, not if only needed for aesthetics. Families can pay for aesthetic choice or wait for kids to be adults and pay themselves.

[Anonymous]

Care Credit is the answer. High interest credit card offered by dentists etc

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

The words cut off are that the teen victim was doing anything to try to save money for braces.

Anonymous wrote:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re a two parent house, college educated, decent careers. Even with supposed good insurance we really struggled to pay for braces for our two oldest. My youngest daughter plays on a cheap YMCA sports league and it seems basically every lower income teen her age has braces. Meanwhile we’re still saving $ to put her in braces. Where do they all find the $ for orthodontia? I’m at a loss as to how this is possible.

You go to a dental school clinic. Your braces will be done by students training to be orthodontists. It's just like getting a haircut at a school that is training stylists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They probably get it for “free” (#yourepayingforit).

If that were true, which it is not, I wouldn't mind at all, because I'm not a selfish sociopath who would happily let others suffer as long as I saved $.01 on my own dental bill or tax return.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They probably get it for “free” (#yourepayingforit).

Okay, how? I don’t want to pay another $7k.

The same way they qualify for their food stamps. They don’t work.

Tell that to the well over 100,000 active duty military members on SNAP or experiencing severe food insecurity, you vile creep.