There are 310 million people in this country, and I would guess that most of them go to a dentist at one time or another. Since the administrative labyrinth for dental coverage and services is quite complex, you can appreciate how much $$$ could be saved on health care if those expenses could be either reduced or eliminated. Here's a micro example of what many in the macro populace face every day. My HBSM--Healthcare Bullshit Meter--looked like a tachometer displaying 7,000 RPM in 1st gear when I received a call from my dentist just now. The billing person wanted to know what kind of dental coverage I have. It seems they have to contact Blue Cross Blue Shield before my appointment on Monday to find out what coverage I've got--a.k.a. how much $$$ the dentist can expect to receive from BCBS--whether there are any exclusions, etc. Luckily, I was able to reassure her that, if worse came to worse, I would pay for the procedure myself. While this dentist is perfectly competent to perform this onlay--she's done three others for me--the woman who runs the practice is totally $$$ focused, which, of course, plays into the insurance companies' hands perfectly. They want practitioners dependent upon their underwriting allowances. The hope is that practitioners will in turn put the financial squeeze on their patients to get payment. This of course means hiring professional office people WHO WENT TO SCHOOL TO LEARN MEDICAL BILLING. You will appreciate that this also drives up the cost of delivering quality care and reduces the amount of time available to the dentist to do so. There is a better way. You know my themes: Universal, Cradle-to-Grave, Single Payer. These concepts, when realized in this society for the benefit of every American, will cut costs, increase quality of care, do away with the fee-for-service model, cut insurance companies and HMOs out of the equation, and make situations like the one I am about to enter into a thing of the past. If you saw the movie "Sicko," you'll remember the scene in which Michael Moore wanders around a hospital in France asking for directions to the billing office. No one understands his request. That is the way it should be in the United States. Take the people who studied medical billing, never mind those folks who got PhDs in Taxation (I am not making this up, such a degree exists), teach them new skills in areas that actually produce something tangible so they can become productive members of society. Let me know your thoughts.