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Nino Brown
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nyscof wrote: I hope Connecticut is a model to every state that is considering mandating fluoridation.
Connecticut has mandated fluoridation for decades. Yet residents display oral health equal or worse than that of third world countries.
It's so interesting that dentists are able to convince legislators to throw fluoride chemicals into the water for the sake of low-income people because dentists really know that's not going to hurt their bottom line.
Just as dentists are behind every fluoridation mandate, they must be mandated to treat a certain number of low-income individuals every year or else risk losing their license.
We'll see just how much they really care about low-income Americans.
Meanwhile, stop fluoridation. It's useless. Use those millions of dollars to actually fill cavities in people's teeth. The state of our State's dental health is HARDLY that of a third world country ..... HARDLY that of a European country .... the use of flouride has significantly HELPED the dental health of our State and the ludicrous idea to "mandate" dentists to take medicaid patients is just foolish .... if the state simply paid them they would gladly do it but when the state pays $15 for a $65 cleaning ...or $18 for a $100 filling ..... is that good business sense to take on such patients ??? after all there is incredible overhead to maintain any type of medical practice
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Mike in Winsted
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How exactly are we going to pay for this. The state has high income taxes, personal property taxes on vehicles and one of the highest gasoline tax in the country. These factors inhibit low-income people from making it on their own. They don't have enough money to buy a car, they can't afford to register a car if they had one and they couldn't put gas in it anyway. The taxes that are going to provide dental care are the same obstacles that prevent people from becoming self-sufficient.
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CT GUY
AOL
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You are right on target Nino. Flouridation has significantly reduced dental caries and cavities for those who have it. The medicaid rates for dentists are truly ridiculous. It actually COSTS a dentist money to see a medicaid patient. It is not the medicaid patients fault. It is the rates that medicaid sets. The numbers you quote are accurate. If more people were aware of the truth, they'd agree. The dentists are not being greedy, they just want appropriate reimbursement (and not have to lose money) when seeing medicaid patients. CT has overall good oral health in spite of the gaps in services. Dentists deserve adequate reimbursement for their services. It has to cost more than $15 bucks to do a cleaning.
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shoreliner
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I fear that this is nothing more than another step toward socialism.
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Linda
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I used to work for an endodontist. I was amazed at the lack of concern for the poor, yet would do FREE dental work on another dentist's family as a courtesy and they could well afford it. His only concern was his pocket!! I agree with another post. Dentists should be required to see a certain percent of low income cases a year or risk losing license.
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Andy in Enfield
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Once again the state of CT is trying and FAILING to help the low income residents of the state get the dental care that they deserve living in the wealthyest state in the nation. I was turned away at the "mission of mercy" dental clinic, but I found a compassionate dentist who was willing to take care of my immediate problem and extract my problem tooth. But when Dr. Robert Linden of Shelton (a leader in the mission of mercy clinic) openly states"EVEN WITH THE CHANGES I AM NOT PLANNING TO OPEN MY PRIVATE SOLO PRACTICE TO LOW INCOME PATIENTS" how can this work ?? The only way to insure that low income patients can get the medical care that they deserve is to MANDATE that all medical providers treat the low income patients of this state one weekend per month in order to keep their license to practice their specialty in this state. Make CT a leader, an innovator in the medical field and force Dr.'s and Dentists to do this and either there will be NO medical treatment available for ANYONE in the state, or EVERYONE in the state gets treated !!!
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Maryann Beauchene
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My daughter is in the position of being unemployed and needing teeth pulled. The two dentists that have worked with her under Medicaid are rude and have given her less quality treatment than I have received from the same dentist as a paying customer. When having teeth extracted she asked for more novocaine and the dentist replied "I already gave you some" and just continued to pull her teeth while she was in excruciating pain.
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Jeff H
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Linda wrote: I used to work for an endodontist. I was amazed at the lack of concern for the poor, yet would do FREE dental work on another dentist's family as a courtesy and they could well afford it. His only concern was his pocket!! I agree with another post. Dentists should be required to see a certain percent of low income cases a year or risk losing license. How much work do you do for free? Did you stay late for no extra pay to help the poor? I doubt you would, so why would you expect the doctor to? Is his time less valuable than yours?
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Jeff H
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Andy in Enfield wrote: Once again the state of CT is trying and FAILING to help the low income residents of the state get the dental care that they deserve living in the wealthyest state in the nation.
The only way to insure that low income patients can get the medical care that they deserve is to MANDATE that all medical providers treat the low income patients of this state one weekend per month in order to keep their license to practice their specialty in this state. How about instead of forcing professionals who have worked hard to get where they are to work for free, we take the lazy low-income bums like yourself, and make THEM work for what they somehow feel they "deserve". Want dental care? Friggin pay for it like everyone else, you bum. I'll bet you have a nice TV with cable. Your cable bill could easily pay your dental bill. Your mama sure as hell didn't raise you right. Get to work.
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Nino Brown
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Andy in Enfield wrote: Once again the state of CT is trying and FAILING to help the low income residents of the state get the dental care that they deserve living in the wealthyest state in the nation. I was turned away at the "mission of mercy" dental clinic, but I found a compassionate dentist who was willing to take care of my immediate problem and extract my problem tooth. But when Dr. Robert Linden of Shelton (a leader in the mission of mercy clinic) openly states"EVEN WITH THE CHANGES I AM NOT PLANNING TO OPEN MY PRIVATE SOLO PRACTICE TO LOW INCOME PATIENTS" how can this work ?? The only way to insure that low income patients can get the medical care that they deserve is to MANDATE that all medical providers treat the low income patients of this state one weekend per month in order to keep their license to practice their specialty in this state. Make CT a leader, an innovator in the medical field and force Dr.'s and Dentists to do this and either there will be NO medical treatment available for ANYONE in the state, or EVERYONE in the state gets treated !!! perhaps the state should also mandate thet YOU work fro FREE or even better, just as the medical professionals do .... YOU PAY YOUR EMPLOYER TO WORK .,..... that mnakes about as much sense as "mandating" medical professionals to do the same ... as another post pointed out .... this would be a great leap toward socialized medicine and socialism itself
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Joined: Apr 2, 2007
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Linda wrote: I used to work for an endodontist. I was amazed at the lack of concern for the poor, yet would do FREE dental work on another dentist's family as a courtesy and they could well afford it. His only concern was his pocket!! I agree with another post. Dentists should be required to see a certain percent of low income cases a year or risk losing license. Damn the dentist! I am shocked as I do my daily shopping, not one retailer gave me anything for free. When I go to a restaurant, not one wait staff returned my tip, not one establishment gave me a discount or a free meal. What the hell are these dentist thinking of their pockets first? You think they have families and bills and such. You are kidding, right? If we are planning to do this, let's start letting the doctors know, before they decide to enter the profession, that they will be mandated to give a percentage of their services for free. That will go over big, and the smart ones will pass the cost to us. After all we can afford to kick up more dollars, can't we?
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Winsted
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I agree with maryann buchanan. I am a hard working single mother. My x doesnt pay child support and wont insure the kids. I have had my job for years and years. WE went to a place which was under husky insurance. the people were so mean to my daughter. It made her scared of the dentist. So I took it upon my self to put her on my dental at work although it was taking away what little money I had left. Well husky will now not insure my daughter. She has no insurance at all. SO people that are on husky have to suck up being treated nasty. Its not right. I never expected a handout for my kids just to be treated like a normal paying customer.
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swhosley
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Linda wrote: I used to work for an endodontist. I was amazed at the lack of concern for the poor, yet would do FREE dental work on another dentist's family as a courtesy and they could well afford it. His only concern was his pocket!! I agree with another post. Dentists should be required to see a certain percent of low income cases a year or risk losing license. And Grocery stores should be required to sell products below cost to the poor, and gas stations should be required to sell their gas at below costs to the poor, the Cell phone bills should be required to be below cost, and of course the State and federal taxes should be eliniinated for the poor. Perhaps we cpould come with a " Get life almost Free card" for the poor, that would entitle them to get everything at below cost to the provider. Might not be a bad idea if we could truely examine the lifestyle of the poor and see where what little money they have is spent on! Perhaps the same regulations that require the reduced cost to the poor would also have regulations that would force them into a healthy life style to make sure their money was well spent. No smoking, No drinking, No drugs,No guns, only healthy foods, no cell phones, no expensive gangsta clothes, only married women could have children, limited family size.
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swhosley
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Winsted wrote: I agree with maryann buchanan. I am a hard working single mother. My x doesnt pay child support and wont insure the kids. I have had my job for years and years. WE went to a place which was under husky insurance. the people were so mean to my daughter. It made her scared of the dentist. So I took it upon my self to put her on my dental at work although it was taking away what little money I had left. Well husky will now not insure my daughter. She has no insurance at all. SO people that are on husky have to suck up being treated nasty. Its not right. I never expected a handout for my kids just to be treated like a normal paying customer. Your ex doesnt pay child support or kid's insurance so the Doctor, the Dentist and the Taxpayers are expected to pick up the slack. Did you consult us when you made your parenting decision?
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Joined: May 14, 2008
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Tips for Seeing a Dentist in Connecticut 1. Make an appointment 2. Arrive on time 3. Receive service 4. Pay your bill
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Jeff H
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Winsted wrote: I agree with maryann buchanan. I am a hard working single mother. My x doesnt pay child support and wont insure the kids. I have had my job for years and years. WE went to a place which was under husky insurance. the people were so mean to my daughter. It made her scared of the dentist. So I took it upon my self to put her on my dental at work although it was taking away what little money I had left. Well husky will now not insure my daughter. She has no insurance at all. SO people that are on husky have to suck up being treated nasty. Its not right. I never expected a handout for my kids just to be treated like a normal paying customer. If you WERE a normal paying customer, maybe you'd get treated that way. A lot of us who didn't screw up our own lives like you have are totally sick hearing lazy people like you whine because you have to pay for your own kids insurance. Pay up, lady, geez, and quit your frickin whining. Everyone else is expected to pay, why shouldn't you?
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Winsted
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Jeff H wrote: <quoted text>
If you WERE a normal paying customer, maybe you'd get treated that way. A lot of us who didn't screw up our own lives like you have are totally sick hearing lazy people like you whine because you have to pay for your own kids insurance.
Pay up, lady, geez, and quit your frickin whining. Everyone else is expected to pay, why shouldn't you? For your information I do pay for the husky insurance. I also have a co pay each time my kids go to the dr and I do also pay for rx's. who said anything about a hand out im just asking to be treating like anyone else with respect and be nice to my child.
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keith
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Here’s a great way you can receive services. Drive a couple hundred miles up to Canada get a fake ID and use their system. Maybe after listening to all your sob stories you could listen to us and give the middle class a break. You decided on your meager income to have the kids so maybe you can decide to get yourself into a position where you can actually afford them.
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FAV
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Jeff H wrote: <quoted text>
If you WERE a normal paying customer, maybe you'd get treated that way. A lot of us who didn't screw up our own lives like you have are totally sick hearing lazy people like you whine because you have to pay for your own kids insurance.
Pay up, lady, geez, and quit your frickin whining. Everyone else is expected to pay, why shouldn't you? How about a bit of compassion, Joe. How would you like to live on the minimum wage. Even if both parents were working, how much would be left to pay the going rate for dental care? Don't come back with the "work your way up" routine as there will always be these below living-wage jobs unless Congress decides otherwise. I don't like paying taxes either but I would support this for the sake of the working poor.
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crab
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Whatever, all children should have access to dental and medical care. If their parents can't afford it, then the state should intervene. I thought this country valued the concept of equal opportunity, especially for children. The hard-ass libertarians here would be ok with the growth of an impoverished class of unhealthy people. Well, the systemically unhealthy cost society more in the long run. Little Johnny is not going to do well in school if his teeth are rotting.
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