{"id":897,"date":"2019-02-19T14:14:46","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T14:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/?p=897"},"modified":"2019-02-19T14:14:47","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T14:14:47","slug":"insurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/insurance\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cINSURANCE\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I think it is\nsafe to say that our healthcare system has some flaws. Wouldn\u2019t it be nice to\nhave a healthcare system that realized that everything in the body is\nconnected? Unfortunately, there are no reasonable solutions for this in the\nnear future. Therefore, it is important for you to take your health into your\nown hands and plan appropriately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Patients will\nsometimes balk at treatment not covered by their dental insurance. Dentists\nwill often hear, \u201cJust do what my insurance covers. I don\u2019t want anything\nextra.\u201d In fact, a recent ADA poll showed that a lack of dental insurance was\nthe #1 reason most patients gave for not visiting a dentist. Here are some\nfrequent questions patients often ask about dental insurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why doesn\u2019t my\ninsurance cover all of the costs for my dental treatment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dental\ninsurance isn\u2019t really insurance (defined as a payment to cover the cost of a\nloss) at all. It is a monetary benefit, typically provided by an employer, to\nhelp their employees pay for routine dental treatment. \u201cDental Insurance\u201d is\nonly designed to cover a portion of the total cost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But my plan says that\nmy exams and other procedures are covered at 100%.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That 100\npercent is usually what the insurance carrier allows as payment towards a\nprocedure, not what your dentist may actually charge. Dentist\u2019s fees are\nusually a reflection of the level and quality of care in a particular office.\nSome cost more, some cost less, depending on the costs of running their office,\nhow much they pay their staff, the materials they use, etc. An employer usually\nselects a plan with a list of payments that corresponds to its desired premium\ncost per month. Therefore, there usually will be a portion not covered by your\nbenefit plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I always have to pay\nout-of-pocket, what good is my insurance?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look at\nmedical insurance. Many people have been forced into high deductible plans\n($2000 or more). Most dental plan deductibles are $50. While dental insurance\nis far from ideal, any amount that reduces your out-of-pocket expense helps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is there an annual\nmaximum on what my plan will pay?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although most\nmaximum amounts have not changed in 30+<\/strong> years, a maximum limit is\nyour insurance carrier\u2019s way of controlling payments. Dental plans are different\nfrom medical plans, in that dentistry is needed frequently. Medical emergencies\nare rare. It is your dentist\u2019s responsibility to recommend treatment based on\ndiagnosis and treatment planning of what is appropriate for your dental health,\nnot necessarily what your dental plan covers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If my insurance won\u2019t\npay for this treatment, why should I have it done?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a\nmistake to let your benefits be your sole consideration when you make decisions\nabout dental treatment. People who have lost their teeth often say that they\nwould pay any amount of money to get them back. Your smile, facial\nattractiveness, ability to chew and enjoy food, and general sense of well-being\nare dependent on your teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other than\ncomplaining to your dental insurance company or your Employee Benefits\nCoordinator, your best defense is to budget for dental care. First, find a\nprovider based on a personal fit for you. That is the single most important\nthing you can do.  If that office can\u2019t\nwork with you financially then I would find another office. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. St. Clair\nmaintains a private dental practice in Rowley and Newburyport dedicated to\nhealth-centered family dentistry. If there are certain topics you would like to\nsee written about or questions you have please email them to him at jpstclair@stclairdmd.com<\/a>.\nYou can view all previously written columns at www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I think it is safe to say that our healthcare system has some flaws. Wouldn\u2019t it be nice to have a healthcare system that realized that everything in the body is connected? Unfortunately, there are no reasonable solutions for this in the near future. Therefore, it is important for you to take your health into your own hands and plan appropriately. Patients will sometimes balk at treatment not covered by their dental insurance. Dentists will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=897"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":903,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897\/revisions\/903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jpeterstclairdentistry.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}