Remember Your Dental Benefits When Visiting a Vintage Park Dentist!

With the end of 2018 just around the corner, it’s incredibly important to take advantage of your insurance benefits. One of the most overlooked benefits include preventive dental exams and cleanings, which is a shame considering how important oral health is to overall health. If you wouldn’t miss a physical exam from your general doctor, why miss an oral exam from a Vintage Park dentist?

Today, we’ll go over the ins and outs of in-network and out-of-network providers and how you can make the most of your insurance benefits before they reset in 2019!

The Difference Between In-Network and Out-of-Network

In-network providers are essentially health care providers that have decided to contract with insurance companies ahead of time in order to negotiate rates for certain treatments. That means that if they accept your insurance and the plan under your insurance, you’re far more likely to get discounts because that provider has already established a contract with the insurance company.

Out-of-network providers have not agreed to these rates, therefore you won’t receive a discount at the time of payment. However, your insurance will still cover some portion of the bill, just not nearly as much. Understanding this distinction is crucial if you want to save money and make the most of your benefits. Always contact the customer service number for your insurance, whether you get it from your employer or elsewhere, to confirm what’s covered.

EOBs and Pre-Determination

Speaking of contacting your insurance company, this is where the EOB comes into play. EOB stands for explanation of benefits, which is provided to both patients and doctors whenever a claim is paid or denied. It’s important that you don’t pay a bill until you’ve confirmed with the insurance company that they’ll cover at least a part of the cost.

A pre-determination of benefits is a document that you should send to your insurance company before going through with a dental treatment. By doing this, your insurance company will send a statement explaining exactly what they would have paid for if you had sent it as a standard claim. It’s a great way to ensure that the treatment you’re getting is covered under insurance ahead of time.

Getting the Most Out of Your Benefits

All too often, people will not use their benefits before the end of the year. Therefore, it’s incredibly important that you make an effort to see your dentist once every six months and schedule your second appointment on a date before the year ends. Since most plan benefits don’t rollover to next year, it’s important to use whatever you have now before they expire. Thankfully, a majority of plans cover preventive treatments like exams, cleanings and X-rays.

Need help navigating your insurance? Schedule an appointment with a dentist today to take advantage of your benefits and maintain proper oral health!

About the Author

Dr. Darrick Castleberry earned his dental degree from the Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry. His practice accepts all PPO plans, military insurance plans, CHIPs and NHIC plans. To learn more about using a particular plan, you can contact him through his website.