Dental insurance is an integral part of helping patients get the proper dental health care, and its something everyone should have. In spite of this fact, there are many things about dental insurance that the average patient doesn’t know. Without a working understanding of their plan and what it can cover, they may miss out on important savings and oral health treatments that they didn’t know were available. Below we’ve assembled a list of essential things to know when considering your care and your dental insurance.
Five Parts Of Dental Insurance They Don’t Tell You
The best time to learn about your dental insurance is before you sign up for a plan. Knowing what questions to ask and what aspects of the plan to look into before you commit to it helps ensure you get the coverage you need and none of what you don’t. The next time you’re looking at dental insurance, be sure to consider the following:
Insurance Plans Are A Legal Agreement
This little fact is more important than it may seem. There are legal penalties that an insurance company can face if it doesn’t provide the coverage it promises. If you’re receiving bills for services that should be covered by your plan, don’t approach the dentist. You’ll need to reach out to your dental insurance company and make sure they know they’re responsible for covering the service indicated in your plan.
The Costs Of Covered Services Is Underestimated
When you look at the projected costs of services provided by your insurance company, remember that the rate given is an average. This rate is reached by surveying providers, including discount providers, to produce the presented rate. As discount providers charge less than other dental clinics, this means this average is always low. Expect the actual cost of service to be higher.
Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance Are Separate Animals
Broadly speaking, both medical insurance and dental insurance are covered by the same set of legal rules. That being said, it’s important to know that, as separate policies with different coverage areas, the benefits offered by dental plans haven’t changed much over the years. While the premiums for dental insurance have gone up, the services they cover have largely remained the same.
What They Claim And What They Deliver In Coverage Differ
The purpose of a dental insurance provider is to sell insurance, not necessarily to live up to the promised made when doing so. This is an element they share in common with medical insurance, and one of those promises involves how much they’ll cover. Dental insurance may promise to pay up to 80% of your bill, but what they don’t tell you is the actual coverage you’ll receive is closer to 35% to 70%.
Cosmetic Procedures Aren’t Covered By Many Dental Plans
An unfortunate part of dental insurance is the almost complete lack of coverage for cosmetic treatments. This manifests in a number of ways that aren’t immediately obvious. For instance, amalgamate fillings are the cheapest form of filling, and many dental plans cover them. They also offer coverage for composite and porcelain fillings, but they only cover the cost of an equivalent amalgamate. This means you’ll be paying for the lion’s share of any filling that isn’t amalgamate with most dental plans.
Fox Valley Dental is proud to be providing affordable dental care to the residents of Aurora, IL, and the surrounding area. Our team is available to help you understand your dental insurance and work out ways for you to get the care that you need. Call today and make an appointment for Dr. Bob Dokhanchi today!
