Question: It seems as if I am getting less out of my dental insurance than I used to. Could you explain?
Answer: Insurance is a supplement and has never been intended to pay for treatment completely. When insurance came out in the 1960s average annual benefits were $1,000- $1,200 for the big 3 Automakers. Now (40 years later) the annual benefits average from $1,200-$1,500. Since then the cost of health care (including dentistry) has gone up significantly. If the annual benefits kept up with inflation during these 40 years they would average between $4,000-$5,000. So it is simple to see that there is more cost sharing than there used to be because of the decrease in insurance benefits.