Frankel Dentistry’s Five Top Tips for Dental Insurance Coverage
Dental insurance is a great benefit. Midwest dentist, Dr. Jon Frankel has five tips to best use dental coverage.
1. Study the plan options during open enrollment and find the plan that best serves your dental health. Make sure there are dentists in your area who accept your plan.
2. Find a dentist who will do complimentary benefits checks and treatment plan consultations. Understanding your treatment options and insurance benefits helps you gain and maintain dental health.
3. Schedule your new patient exam and subsequent visits early in the year.
4. Make sure to schedule at least two well checks or hygiene re-care visits every year. Take care of small issues before they become big problems!
5. Understand your dental insurance is a great help but behavior is the key to a healthy smile. Brush. Floss. Complete needed treatment as soon as possible.
Now you see it. Now you don’t. Dental Insurance Benefits
Got Insurance? Be Sure to Use it!
The year is almost over and that means you only have a few months left this year to use your dental benefits. Have you been putting off a dental procedure? Have you been seen for your regular exam yet? Now is the time to make the time to put your dental health first.
Dr. Frankel and Dr. Puhl urge you to take advantage of your dental benefits — you are paying for them! If you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), the dollars are just sitting there waiting for you to use them — and this money will expire, so use it or lose it!
If you have any questions about your benefit policy, our staff is more than willing to go over any questions you may have. Act quickly! The holidays are a busy time, so if you need to schedule treatment, get an appointment on the calendar.
It may only be August, but the holiday season and the end of the year will be here before you know it! Most patients pay a monthly premium for dental benefits and if you have not seen a dentist this year and had routine cleanings, your benefits are going to waste. Did you know your benefit plan may have a deductible and yearly maximum. Most plans renew on January 1st every year and benefits do not roll over.
We love insurance companies and we want you to get the most from your dental benefits. If you need assistance on understanding how your insurance works, please call our office to set up a benefits check appointment. Our team is happy to help you understand how your policy works – we want you to get the best value for what you’re paying for!
Dental insurance is a helpful bonus but it can be confusing and can appear misleading. Dental insurance is an agreement between the employer and the insurance company to partially pay for certain services. Dental Insurance helps in covering costs but does not intend to cover all costs. Every insurance plan, even within the same insurance company handles things differently. This extensive variety in plans keeps dental office staff and patients asking questions. Here are the TOP THREE!
Your fee is more than what my dental insurance company calls “usual, customary and reasonable or UCR” are you overcharging me?
When asked by state dental associations how insurance companies determine UCR fees, the companies consistently reply, it is privileged company information that will not be divulged.
If UCR were based on dental procedures for a specific geographic area it would be “reasonable” but unfortunately it is not unusual for the same insurance company to pay different UCR fees to the same dental office depending on which of the plans the patient is enrolled in. If data was complied accurately all plans, in all insurance companies should have the same usual and customary fees but they do not.
It appears the insurance companies set artificially low fees in an effort to enhance their profit margins. The result can challenge the trust of a patient toward his dentist. Insurance companies collect as much in premiums as possible, pay out as little as possible and delay payment as long as possible.
What is “in network” mean?
Some dental plans only pay for treatment if the dentist is contracted as a provider. Often “in network” plans are so severely discounted dentists are forced to lower the standard of treatment to participate. Dr. Frankel chooses not be participate in these plans.
Certain network plans allow a patient to be treated by an “out of network” dentist at an additional expense to the patient. Many patients opt for quality care “out of pocket”.
The staff at Dr. Frankel’s office with do a complimentary benefits check. You will be informed of your responsibility before treatment.
What is a dental coverage maximum?
The total annual amount your dental insurance will pay toward treatment is called your maximum. Dental coverage maximums are purported to increase with inflation and the cost of living. In the 1960’s maximums were around $1,000 and many still are. The general range of dental insurance maximum is our area is 1,000 – 3,000 dollars. The average dental crown in the United States was in 1960 was $60.00 and now it is $1,400.00
