State lawmakers closer to bridging gaps in coverage for dental procedures

As president of the Illinois State Dental Society and a pediatric dentist, I am thrilled to see that dental insurance reform legislation is gaining traction in Illinois. With key reforms passing Illinois House and Senate committees in recent weeks, we are one step closer to providing our patients and their families with the dental coverage they need and deserve.

One of the most frustrating challenges our patients and families face is limited and sporadic dental insurance coverage. Many are often surprised at the amount they are required to pay out of pocket, and this can be especially true for children with various oral health treatment needs. We often see insurance simply will not cover services that are widely accepted as the standard of care.

I have seen firsthand the devastating effects of limited dental insurance coverage on our patients and their families. Recently, I had a young patient who required work on 12 teeth, but his insurance would not cover general anesthesia. As a result, he had to endure four visits, and each time both the boy and his mom struggled in tears. It was heart-wrenching for him, his family, and our staff, who could see the emotional toll it was taking on everyone involved.

Dental insurance barriers like this are not just an issue of inconvenience; they can have a real and lasting impact on our patients’ health and quality of life.

Limited dental insurance coverage has had a detrimental impact on patients and their families for far too long, especially for those who cannot afford high out-of-pocket costs. Necessary procedures are often not covered or are severely restricted, leaving patients to shoulder the burden of costly out-of-pocket expenses or delay critical oral care. All the while, dental insurance companies continue to go unchecked, with up to 40 percent of patient premiums going toward administrative costs that include extravagant marketing and executive bonuses.

This is why the Illinois State Dental Society has launched the More for Your Smile campaign, which advocates for reforms that remove barriers to care and ensure that patients and employers get better value for their money. The legislation removes barriers to care by requiring dental insurance companies to direct at least 80% of patient premiums toward patient care, ensuring patients and employers will get better value for their money, and that outof-pocket costs are reduced. It also puts an end to schemes used by big insurance companies to gain additional revenue streams that hurt dentists’ abilities to maintain financially healthy practices and ultimately impact patient access to care.

The solution is clear. More patient premium dollars should go toward patient care, not insurance companies. I am encouraged that lawmakers in Springfield are considering reforms that could make a real difference in the lives of patients across our state.

Patients can join these efforts to help give children and families better access to the dental care they need and deserve by contacting their lawmakers and urging them to support More for Your Smile legislation.

Help us send the right message to big dental insurance executives: It’s time to put patients first and ensure that dental insurance coverage meets their needs, not the needs of insurance company profits.

Dr. Kenneth G. Rawson is president of the Illinois State Dental Society.

An independent newspaper serving this area since 1957. ©The Shopper 924 E. 162nd Street • South Holland, IL 60473

HOW TO REACH US

Phone: 708-271-8971 • www.myshopper.biz • Email: general@myshopper.biz

CIRCULATION

Published every week covering the towns of South Holland/Thornton, Lansing, Dolton/Calumet City, Munster, Highland, and Schererville. Our circulation is independently audited by CAC.

ERRORS

We proofread all Classified ads. However, should a mistake occur, it can easily be corrected, provided it is brought to our attention. Call 708-271-8971 to rectify an error. We cannot be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion. Adjustment for error is limited to republication. In any event, adjustment for errors or omissions is limited to the cost of the space occupied.

CLASSIFIED ADS

The Shopper offers FREE non-business Classified Ads (20 word maximum). Business Classifieds are $25 for 20 words, $1.00 per word over. Place ads online at www.myshopper.biz

NEWS

Email news items to general@myshopper.biz

Some content courtesy of Family Features and Capital News Illinois.

DEADLINE

Friday 4:00 pm for the following week’s issue.

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

The Shopper reserves the right to edit any content supplied for publication as it sees fit, including but not limited to clarity, grammatical and factual accuracy, and to accommodate available space. All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to Fair Housing Laws which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, sexual orientation, marital status, military status, age, ancestry, parental status, source of income, military discharge status or housing status,” no matter how large or small the property. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free at 1-800-669-9777.

The toll-free telephone number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.

Should investors ‘go it alone’?

SUBMITTED BY PATRICK ZAMKIN

If you’re going to enjoy a comfortable retirement, you should know, among other things, how much money you’ll need. And you may have a much better chance of knowing this if you get some professional help.

Consider these findings from a 2021 study by Dalbar, a financial services market research firm:

• Investors who worked with a financial advisor were three times more likely to estimate what they would have saved at retirement than “do-it-yourself” investors.

• More than two-thirds of investors with a financial advisor were satisfied with the amount they would have saved at retirement, compared to about 27% of the do-ityourselfers.

How do financial professionals help their clients in these ways?

First, consider the issue of determining how much money will be needed for retirement. It’s not always easy for individuals to estimate this amount. But financial professionals can help clients like you arrive at this figure by exploring your hopes and goals. How long do you plan to work? What kind of lifestyle do you anticipate enjoying in retirement? Where would you like to live? How much would you like to travel? Are you open to pursuing earned income opportunities, such as consulting or working part time?

Next comes the other key question: How much money will be available for retirement? This big question leads to many others: How much do you need to save and invest each year until you retire? About what sort of investment return will you need to reach your retirement income goals? What level of risk are you willing to take to achieve that return? What is the role of other income sources such as Social Security or any pensions you might have?

Having a financial professional help you gain a clear idea of your retirement income picture can certainly be reassuring. But there may be other reasons why “going it alone” as an investor might not be desirable.

For example, when the financial markets are down, as was the case for much of 2022, some investors make decisions based on short-term volatility, such as selling investments to “cut their losses,” even if these same investments still have solid business fundamentals and good prospects for growth. But if you work with a financial professional, you might decide to stick with these investments, especially if they’re still appropriate for your long-term strategy. Other times, of course, the advice may be different — but it will always be advice based on your goals, needs and time horizon.

Furthermore, if you’re investing on your own, you may always be measuring your results against the major market indexes, such as the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Average. But in reality, your portfolio should contain a wide range of investments, some of which aren’t contained in these indexes, so you might not be assessing your performance appropriately. A financial professional can help you develop your own, more meaningful benchmarks that can show the progress you’re actually making toward your goals.

In some areas of life, going it alone can be exciting — but when it comes to investing for your future, you may benefit from some company on the journey.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor, Patrick Zamkin, located at 18735 Dixie Hwy, Homewood, IL 60430. Contact us at (708) 798-9066. Edward Jones. Member SIPC.