Dental insurance is a wonderful benefit to take advantage of because it’s nearly a fraction of the cost of your medical insurance! Why then, does it seem to cause the most headaches and anxiety when it comes to claims?
Most of the time, dental policies are not as self-explanatory as your medical policy. That’s why it’s important to understand the type of dental plan you have and the contract language of that plan. We want to help you maximize the use of your dental benefits by giving you these tips on your dental plan:
- There is not an unlimited amount of benefits on your dental plan like there is on your medical plan. Your dental plan has caps – or maximums — on the amount of money it will pay per year on claims up to a certain number. Make sure you know your dental plan’s maximums!
- Just like with your medical, your dental plan will come with a network of providers, but not all dentists are going to be included in your dental network.Your dental plan may show you that your in and out of network charges are the same, but it’s not going to be the same amount you pay. Out of network dental providers can “balance bill you” (charge however much they want) because they are not contracted with your dental plan. So, make sure your dentist is in your dental network to avoid extra out of pocket costs.
- Before your dental appointment, give the dental office your insurance card and request that they run the dental claim through your insurance. This is called a pre-treatment cost estimator and it will get you an estimate of how much your claim is going to be.
It’s important to educate yourself on the ins and outs of your dental plan to avoid those stress headaches! If you have any questions about your dental benefits, give Clevenger Insurance a call today at 574-267-2181.
