San Francisco and Marin CA
We recently dropped Delta Dental, which means that Glen Park Dental is no longer an in-network provider for this insurance plan. While you may think this is bad news for any patients with a Delta Dental policy, we’ve got some good news on how this change will be beneficial to our patients.
What insurance does
Insurance is meant to protect you from a catastrophic financial loss. For instance, with the right homeowner’s insurance, a policy may cover the expense of rebuilding your home if it was destroyed or significantly damaged by a natural disaster. Medical insurance helps prevent financial ruin in the event that you experience a serious health condition like a heart attack or cancer. And these types of policies typically require you to provide detailed information about what you are insuring so that the insurance company can calculate your level of risk and determine the amount of your premium.
However, dental insurance does not work this way. You don’t have to prove anything about your current health or oral health status. Instead, your benefits and premiums do not correlate with your oral health and are designed to limit costs for your employer or insurance provider. Therefore, dental “insurance” is not really insurance but more of pre-paid benefits plan, which provides some coverage for treatment or preventive care, but really shouldn’t be considered insurance. Unfortunately, the dental insurance business is a broken system because it doesn’t actually help patients experiencing major dental problems. Sure, it may help pay for the portion of a crown or root canal, but if you need more than one of those type of treatments in a calendar year, you’re likely going to be out-of-pocket for the majority, if not all, of the cost for additional treatments due to the annual maximum amount that the insurance will pay out.
Better care
Dental insurance plans are marketed as a way for patients to reduce their out-of-pocket expenses for dental care. However, the truth is that insurance policies are designed to make the insurance money and reduce the amount that they pay for care. Ultimately, dental insurance dictates the type of care that patients receive. For instance, some plans may have a limit on how much they cover for a particular service and these policies usually come with exclusions that basically state the reasons the plan won’t cover treatment. Unfortunately, this could influence patients on how they decide to seek treatment for their condition.
Without the worry of dental insurance coverage, you’re free to choose your provider and treatments without limitations or restrictions. Furthermore, since many policies focus more on fixing dental problems and less on the mouth and body connection, you’ll experience improved oral health in the long run because we are able to help focus on how your oral health relates to your overall health and not just fix problems after the fact.
What to expect now
If you have a Delta Dental insurance policy, here’s what you can expect going forward at Glen Park Dental. We will still file claims to Delta Dental, although full payment for your treatment is due at the time of service, which means that we are fee-for-service. Since we are considered out-of-network with Delta Dental, your policy may still provide coverage but at a reduced benefit amount. Therefore, if your plan covers any part of your treatment, we will send you a check to reimburse you for the portion that your insurance covered once your claim is processed. For example, if your treatment costs $200, which you paid in full at your visit, and then your insurance later pays $50 of that treatment, we will reimburse you the $50 that the insurance paid us. Additionally, we will ask that you sign a waiver at your next visit that explains these changes and acknowledge your understanding of these changes.
Additional payment options
To help patients with the cost of their treatment, whether you have Delta Dental or not, Glen Park Dental is a CareCredit Provider. CareCredit is a third-party financing partner that allows you to pay for the full cost of your treatment using credit. But it’s different than other credit cards or personal loans because your monthly payments may qualify for %0 interest for a set number of months, allowing you to make low monthly payments on your balance. CareCredit is also unlike other credit cards because you don’t have to have perfect credit to qualify. Additionally, CareCredit is accepted at more than 260K providers across the country, and you can use it for other healthcare related expenses or services for you, your family members that live with you, and even your pets. Therefore, CareCredit is an excellent option for anyone that needs help paying their out-of-pocket dental expenses or other medical related costs.
Receive Better Dental Care in Marin and the Bay Area in California
Insurance changes can sometimes be difficult to understand and navigate as a patient. But as premier dental providers in Marin, we are confident that this change with Delta Dental is for the benefit of our patients. You’ll still receive top-notch quality care that you deserve and expect at Glen Park Dental. If you have any questions about what this change means for you or how it will impact your dental care costs, please contact Glen Park Dental by calling (415) 585-1500.
