I
iDent
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2012
- Messages
- 150
- Location
- United States
Why Did Brighter Dim?
Yesterday I received an e-mail message from my dental-discount plan, Brighter, informing me that their URL is changing from Brighter.com to Brighterplan.com
When I visited the new website, I learned that Brighter is no longer enrolling new members. Current members remain active; new members must purchase memberships directly from Brighter's contracted network, Careington, bypassing Brighter altogether.
Careington's prices are essentially the same as Brighter's. However, I really hope Brighter isn't inactivated in what insurers call "the foreseeable future" because Brighter is dental-only; Careington would require me to purchase access to other services I don't want and wouldn't use.
Brighter is not a great option, but as I explained to Dr. Yes (who only participates in the lower-discount Brighter/Careington plan, not the higher-discount one), it "takes the edge off." Last year, I probably saved $500-750 on Dr. Yes's dental bills (my two RCTs with Dr. Endo were out-of-network). Working in healthcare, I know there isn't any such thing as "free lunch." Just as Brighter isn't even close to ideal, neither is Delta Dental nor its cousins. I really wish high-deductible dental coverage with higher annual maximums was available!
After internet research failed to answer my questions about recent Brighter changes, I sent Brighter customer service an e-mail asking, "Why did Brighter dim?"
Last year, I estimated that approximately 40 million Americans were enrolled in Brighter, so I have reason to believe it was/is financially solvent. Did a dental or insurance professional association threaten some sort of obscure legal action if Brighter continued to enroll new members? Did Brighter founder and "serial entrepreneur" Jake Winebaum simply become bored with Brighter and move on to his next venture?
One of my favorite economic sayings is, "Capitalism only works when there's competition." Let's hope that Brighter wasn't dimmed by oligopolists who love to revere true free markets, but actually fear them!
Yesterday I received an e-mail message from my dental-discount plan, Brighter, informing me that their URL is changing from Brighter.com to Brighterplan.com
When I visited the new website, I learned that Brighter is no longer enrolling new members. Current members remain active; new members must purchase memberships directly from Brighter's contracted network, Careington, bypassing Brighter altogether.
Careington's prices are essentially the same as Brighter's. However, I really hope Brighter isn't inactivated in what insurers call "the foreseeable future" because Brighter is dental-only; Careington would require me to purchase access to other services I don't want and wouldn't use.
Brighter is not a great option, but as I explained to Dr. Yes (who only participates in the lower-discount Brighter/Careington plan, not the higher-discount one), it "takes the edge off." Last year, I probably saved $500-750 on Dr. Yes's dental bills (my two RCTs with Dr. Endo were out-of-network). Working in healthcare, I know there isn't any such thing as "free lunch." Just as Brighter isn't even close to ideal, neither is Delta Dental nor its cousins. I really wish high-deductible dental coverage with higher annual maximums was available!
After internet research failed to answer my questions about recent Brighter changes, I sent Brighter customer service an e-mail asking, "Why did Brighter dim?"
Last year, I estimated that approximately 40 million Americans were enrolled in Brighter, so I have reason to believe it was/is financially solvent. Did a dental or insurance professional association threaten some sort of obscure legal action if Brighter continued to enroll new members? Did Brighter founder and "serial entrepreneur" Jake Winebaum simply become bored with Brighter and move on to his next venture?
One of my favorite economic sayings is, "Capitalism only works when there's competition." Let's hope that Brighter wasn't dimmed by oligopolists who love to revere true free markets, but actually fear them!