Open enrollment season is here!
‘Tis the season for Holiday parties, buying and exchanging gifts, spending time with family, dressing up the little ones… Who wants to take the time to pick a dental insurance plan for the upcoming year? No one I tell ya, that’s who! Mistakes can easily be made and you’ll feel the repercussions for 12 loooong months. Let’s see if we can help in just a few short sentences. Ah, now that feels better, right? Ok, let’s make some decisions!
As you know, the Smile Design Centre is an ‘Out of Network Provider’ for ALL insurance companies. Why? More to come on that; watch for my blog ‘Understanding the Limitations of Dental Insurance’. When you have all of the plan options laid out in front of you, be sure to choose one that has ‘out of network benefits’ (there are usually 2 coverage columns ‘in’ and ‘out’ of network). Don’t pick a plan that has a lesser coverage percentage in the ‘out of network’ column. And lastly, the most common 2 insurance companies that WILL NOT send payment to us as an out of network provider, are Delta Dental and Blue Cross (you’ll probably still get some coverage, but the payment will be sent directly to you so you’ll owe in full the day of services). No extra work, we still file the claims, but you’ll have an change in your up-front costs.
Ok, let’s recap
| In network coverage | Out of network coverage | |
| Preventative | 100% | 80% |
| Restorative | 80% | 50 % |
| In network coverage | Out of network coverage | |
| Preventative | 100% | 100% |
| Restorative | 80% | 80% |
See how easy that was!!? Now go grab some eggnog and a roll of wrapping paper people! ‘Tis the season!