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The opinion polling firm, Gallup, released its latest report on consumer spending habits and attitudes. The report reveals some striking shifts in attitudes over the past year that have not been present over the past decade. Gallup asked consumers whether they enjoyed spending more or saving more of their money. For a decade the percentage that said they enjoy saving more remained fairly consistent hovering between 48% and 53% through the end of 2008.
With the economy taking a deep dive in the fourth quarter of 2008 and in 2009, the number of consumers indicating a preference to save rather than spend has increased to 62% in the latest poll conducted in February 2010. The change in attitudes cuts across all demographic groups, and, except for those identifying themselves as politically liberal, about 60% of consumers or more will find saving more enjoyable than spending.
Any company that sells to consumers will have to learn to live under a new paradigm. Consumers will demand even greater value for their dollar than in the past, and in the process will seek out more information to justify purchases large and small. The keys to success in this “new normal” will be clear and concise demonstration of value and readily available information to support a customer’s decision-making process. In short consumer purchases will become less emotional and more rational as they strive to justify the expense with a product’s or service’s value.
This post was written by Jerry Berggren, Director of Research for the National Association of Dental Plans.
There is a saying in political circles, “There are two things you do not want to watch being made—sausage and laws.”
The health care reform debate certainly has not been an easy process to watch or to understand. No one would suspect from what is being talked about in the press or on the Senate floor that dental coverage will be impacted. But a fix is needed so that 31 million Americans now provided stand-alone dental coverage through small employers can keep their kids covered under those policies.
The 2000+ page Senate “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” is a step in the right direction to allowing Americans access to the separate dental coverage they have today. The act now partially incorporates a Senate Finance Committee’s amendment allowing separate dental coverage to meet the mandated children’s dental benefits inside the Exchanges when purchased with medical coverage meeting all other essential benefit requirements (Whew! That was a mouthful!). But what is not included is the part of the Senate Finance Committee’s amendment that provided the essential benefits purchased by individuals and small employers outside the Exchange to be offered the same way, i.e. through a separate dental and medical policy.
As a result, uninsured consumers can get stand-alone dental coverage through the new Exchanges to cover their children. But, those with dental coverage through a small employer outside the Exchanges can’t keep their children covered under their family dental policies. What sense does that make?
Senators’ Stabenow (MI) and Lincoln (LA) offered the amendment in Senate Finance. And it was adopted with unanimous bipartisan support. So, it makes no sense that the language of the amendment was not incorporated in bill on the Senate floor.
If you are employed in a company with less than 50 employees and have dental benefits, tell your Senator that you “want to keep your children covered under your dental policy.” Ask them to tell Senator Reid to work with Senators Stabenow and Lincoln to allow you to keep your coverage.
Like most of you I have been consumed by my own priorities since the last post in mid-September—mostly work. And there is both good news and bad news to report for oral health.
The Good News (always first, right?)—The Senate Finance Committee unanimously agreed that you should be able to keep your kids in your dental plan with you. They also agreed that Americans who are getting coverage through the Exchange should be able to buy a separate dental plan for their kids focused on oral health coverage if they want t0. So S 1796 will let you keep your dental coverage and dentist.
The Bad News—The House version of health reform that came out last week—HR 3962—dropped an amendment that protected the separate family dental policies of 132 million Americans. Our last ditch efforts to get the provision restored before the bill comes to the floor for a vote this Friday failed.
The Ugly News: Bottom line, if the House bill is the one to pass, 45 million kids covered on their family dental policies will be stripped from their parents’ policies and put into their medical plan. And there is no guarantee that the medical plan will include the dentist your kids now see.
So, today I am bummed as the promise that “you can keep our coverage and providers” is in jeopardy when it comes to your dental plans.
What can you do to help prevent this from happening? It’s a simple 2-step process.
Do your part to keep family dental coverage under dental coverage.
So, this morning I read that health policy costs went up 133% over the last 10 years, yikes! During that same time dental plan costs rose less than 40%–on average 4% to 5% in the last few years. In fact dental premiums went down this year for employee only. So why does Congress want to put children’s dental coverage under a health plan? Lower cost? More coverage?
97% of the dental benefits today are separate policies of coverage through carriers that specialize in dental. When a medical plan has to build or buy the capacity to cover dental—that’s just more cost they will pass onto us!
The top medical plan that covers federal employees has a skinny dental benefit—paying $22 for an office visit. Dental plans pay 100% for preventive office visits and the x-rays, cleanings, sealants and fluoride that my kids and I need. So my daughter who is still at college and on my dental plan will be shifted to the new medical plan and probably have less dental coverage than I have.
Oh, and that promise you can keep your dentist—you get no guarantee that the dentist your family sees now will be part of the medical plan covering your kids.
The promise that Americans can keep their coverage and providers is broken when it comes to our dental benefits.
Evelyn F. Ireland, CAE, is a mother of two and Executive Director of the National Association of Dental Plans. She is recognized as an expert in the insurance industry by ‘Insurance Newscast Expert.’
Today I read a new Kaiser Family Foundation report on “Children and Health Care Reform” (Publication #7980) that confirms that what I have been saying, “Dental benefits get short shrift when combined with medical coverage.”
Kaiser says that under the most popular Blue Cross Blue Shield federal employee’s medical plan a 7-year old boy’s trip to the dentist was reimbursed at $22 with an additional $30 for an extraction. Separate dental coverage typically pays 100% of preventive care including office visits and 80% for basic services like extractions, fillings, root canals etc.
Medical plans will simply not give dental the attention it needs. The separate dental coverage that 132 million Americans have today for their families should be left alone under health care reform.
As a Mom that still covers my daughter at college under my dental plan, I don’t want to try to figure out different payment schedules under my medical policy for her when she calls about going to the dentist. It is easier to refer to the dental policy that covers me and my husband.
Who needs this kind of complexity added to their lives? Let’s just let dental do dental and have medical handle medical.
Evelyn F. Ireland, CAE, is a mother of two and Executive Director of the National Association of Dental Plans. She is recognized as an expert in the insurance industry by ‘Insurance Newscast Expert.’
So Thursday started with a call from CNBC’s Street Signs program to talk about the impact of health reform on dental benefits. A call from a TV program was a first for me. I was energized, but it was also scary. After all, what woman wants to go on television with no notice? Well, at least I wore a jacket I thought and returned the call.
Three hours later, I was sitting in a sound proof booth looking at a camera with two “googley eyes” (like the ones on that stack of money you’ll save with Geico) trying to image the people that were talking in my ear as they sat in New York and California.
Of course, I looked like a deer in the headlights, but did remember a few key points.
Of course there were many things that we couldn’t get to. Maybe I can add them to the next 4 minute interview, but– with better make-up and clothes 
.
Evelyn F. Ireland, CAE, is a mother of two and Executive Director of the National Association of Dental Plans. She is recognized as an expert in the insurance industry by ‘Insurance Newscast Expert.’
I’ve been listening to a lot of health care reform town halls lately.
On Sunday, I was listening to the radio when another Senator repeated the promise that “Americans can keep their current coverage and doctors.” I found myself screaming at the radio, “just not your dental or vision coverage!” Aware my outburst did nothing beyond frighten the other drivers on the road; I knew I had to take to the blogosphere.
I don’t want to be an alarmist, but I have devoted a lot of resources to figuring out how the 1000’s of pages of health care reform bills work. I know there are unexpected surprises in these bills that Americans should know about. Whenever I share what I know with my family and friends, they say “Really? Why?”
Now I want to know what you think about 3 things the House version of health care reform will do:
What do you think?
Evelyn F. Ireland, CAE, is a mother of two and Executive Director of the National Association of Dental Plans. She is recognized as an expert in the insurance industry by ‘Insurance Newscast Expert.’