My Badger care experience . . .

[DollyM]

We were able to get medical cards (Badger Care) several months ago and have found this to be a rather frustrating system. First, they give you three months to see any Dr. that will take the medical card and most do. Then you are switched into an HMO and the nightmare begins. Then it is not only a matter of trying to find someone who will take the card, they have to be in your HMO at that particular moment. My husband is diabetic and has special machine that helps with his neuropathy. It was charged during the first three months but when we were switched into the HMO, it was no longer covered and he was told it had to be returned but the company that made this machine did not accept UNited Health care as their HMO.
Finding a dentist who will take this card is even harder. I have a tooth I have been trying to deal with for several weeks until I finally broke down and called a dentist at random. I know that no one in our area (Green Bay) would take the medical card but after suffering through several sleepless nights with pain, I had to get help. I figured I would just pay for it myself. I went to the Dentist and presented my medical card, just hoping they would give me a discount, and would put the bill on my credit card. The receptionist at the front desk looked at me like I had slapped her up the side of the head when I showed her the medical card but told her I would pay cash for services if they didn't accept it. She told me that they could not accept me as a patient if I had a medical card, again I repeated that I would pay for it myself in cash (well, with a credit card), and she got very upset and again said they could not take me as a patient and ran out of the room, leaving me standing there and wondering what the heck just happened. She finally came back after about 10 minutes and still upset told me they would have to accept the medical card since I presented it. Okay . . . I saw the dentist and found that I would need a root canal and they would have to refer me on. They made me an appointment with someone else and repeated to me at least three times and even wrote it on the appointment card, the payment of $895.00 is due up front, at the time of service. I was really insulted by this point and the more I thought about it, the angrier I became. My husband has been out of work for nearly five months which means we only have about 6 weeks of unemployment left. I really can't afford $895.00 for dental work. I am trying to decide what to do at this point. I guess I will take out the phone book and start calling around and seeing who will take the medical card or should I just make the appointment and show up with the medical card and hope that they really do have to take it if I present it. Let me add that this is not an easy situation for us. My husband and I are both educated people, responsible citizens, and have always worked and taken care of ourselves. But, medical conditions in both my husband and myself as well as job losses have forced us into having to rely on the forms of assistance such as the medical cards. It is hard enough to have to use the darn thing without being treated like we are second class citizens at the dentists office.
If you have any suggestions, or know any dentists that take medical cards, please let me know.

[dragonlady]

1. You might think about the dental school at Marquette

in Milwaukee. That's the only dental school in the state, I believe. And are you at least getting antibiotics for infection? An abscessed tooth is bad news.

[RevCheesehead]

2. I think dental insurance is disappearing.

I don't have it, and had to arrange to make payments with the dentist for my first root canal ($1,000, with x-rays & "new patient set-up"). They let me make payments probably because I was the new pastor in town (we're a city of 3,500). Otherwise, it was pay the day of service. I had to borrow money from my parents. Then a year later, I had another root canal (from the same injury!). By this time, I had money in the bank and paid up front.

I'm sorry you're struggling.