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Why I Am Not An Insurance Dentist!

WHY I AM NOT AN INSURANCE DENTIST

Greetings from the Office of Dr. Jack Bodie!

We are asked daily if accept this insurance or that insurance. Our answer is always an emphatic “Yes, we accept any insurance that will pay us!” And we think having dental insurance is fantastic! Who wouldn’t want help paying their dental bills? So what are some of the misconceptions about dental insurance? Isn’t it like medical insurance? How much does dental insurance pay? Does dental insurance pay for all dental services? And what about “in network” plans? Some great questions for sure, so let’s explore the facts about dental insurance.

Medical vs. Dental Insurance

Unlike medical insurance, dental insurance was designed from the beginning only to pay a portion of dental expenses, and only up to a certain amount annually (usually $1000). Deductibles, exclusions, and co-pays, further reduce dental benefits to the point where coverage is sometimes only a fraction of total cost. Whereas with medical policies, usually most costs are covered and up to millions annually! Now that’s a huge difference!

Policy Restrictions

As much as you might hate to hear it, dental insurance plans are very restrictive in services covered. Paying to restore pre-existing conditions like missing teeth are never covered adequately and many routine services are just plain excluded! There’s no Obamacare in dental insurance!

Are you sure your plan is Insurance?

Believe it or not, many dental plans are not insurance at all, but are discount plans. You are required to go to a dentist that has agreed to reduce his/her fees in exchange for patients being directed by the plan to the dentist’s office. The truth with these plans is that the administrators of the plan design them so that the dentist can recoup the “discounts” by adding other fees or charging for procedures not included in the “discounted” fees. Talk about deceptive marketing!

“In Network Dental Offices”

Here’s a biggie. We have seen so many patients that think if their dentist is “in network”, they are going to save a ton of money. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is, being “in network” in medicine is a big deal. Going to an “out of network” medical doctor could cost you tens of thousands of dollars! Not so in dentistry! In fact, going “in network” could cost you thousands more in future treatment, depending on the office you choose. You see, the large majority of “in network” dental offices are designing their business models to primarily extract dental benefits from your policy regardless of what is best for you as the patient. Don’t believe it? Just pick any franchise dental office and see how you get treated. Your insurance benefits will be gone in two appointments, and then they’ll tell you what really needs to be fixed. But look out now! You’ll get an inexperienced dentist with a ton of dental school debt that gets 25% of whatever he/she cranks out. And the fees are so low (in network), so much needs to be done in a hurry! If you’re lucky, it’ll last a few years before it all has to be replaced!

Insurance Company Knows Best?

Here’s another big one that is a serious issue for some patients. It’s amazing to me that patients actually think that their insurance company knows what’s best for them. Yet when we submit a claim for a necessary non-covered procedure, patients often think it’s an unapproved procedure! Whew! Come on folks! Insurance companies are in business to make money! They could care less about your teeth! We tell our patients “If you do what your insurance thinks is best, you won’t get the best!”

So, what’s the bottom line? Well, we think the most important issue with our patients is the relationship. That’s why we spend a great deal of time getting to know our patients before we talk about teeth. It’s why we ask our patients what’s important to them. It’s about our patients, not us. Dental insurance is great! We wish all our patients had help with their dental expenses. But what really is most important is the dentistry you get and integrity of the dentist that is delivering the services! 

The Bottom Line

So, if you think the value of the dentistry you get is what’s most important, you’ll want to check us out! Dentistry that looks good, feels great, lasts a long time, and is personally guaranteed by a dentist you can trust, this is our specialty! Call 972 235 4767 or go to DrJackBodie.com for an appointment today!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jack Bodie and Staff

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Wednesday, 22 August 2018