Dental Insurance: Use It or Lose It

Not everyone has dental insurance, but those who do sometimes take it for granted. Dental insurance gives you a fixed amount of money to spend on your dental care each year. Anything that isn’t used is absorbed by your insurance company when your plan starts over in January. So if you’re skipping your dental check-ups, it’s a waste of valuable insurance payments that you’ll never get back. When it comes to dental insurance, if you don’t use it, you lose it!

Many people who have dental insurance aren’t aware that their plans allocate coverage up to a certain amount each year, and each year patients miss out on scheduling the dental treatment they need, deserve and have insurance to cover. Since dental insurance dollars don’t roll over into the next year, this is a considerable waste of your valuable insurance payments. Millions of dollars in benefits go unused every year.

Here are 4 ways to take full advantage of your dental benefits:

Exhaust your benefits. Most health insurance benefits operate on an annual basis, from January 1 to December 31. Remember that most preventive services are available to you with no copay, so take advantage of semi-annual dental cleanings!

Satisfy your deductible. Your deductible (the amount you have to pay out-of-pocket before health insurance starts to pick up the bills) will reset at the start of the year. So if you’ve already satisfied your deductible, now is the time to get in those last-minute treatments, especially if you’re in need of care that is costly. Your insurance could help with picking up the tab as long as care is provided before the end of the year.

Use FSA funds. Remember that Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are a use-it-or-lose-it type benefit. If you fail to use the money you deposited into the account before the year is up, you could forfeit the funds.

Dental Treatments Matter. Don’t delay dental treatments because of money. Dental problems tend to worsen (and become more expensive) the longer they go untreated. We see many patients with significant problems that would have otherwise been minimal if they had come in earlier.

We can help you maximize your insurance benefits and get all the treatments you need with the proper scheduling. For those patients interested in financial plans, it’s a good process to begin now for end-of-year treatments. Visit our website or contact us today to schedule your next dental appointment.