It’s that time of year again when patients start asking your staff and you about their dental insurance and it’s pending re-enrollment through their employer.
It never ceases to amaze me how little most patients understand their insurance.
After performing years of treatment plan presentations and creating countless financial arrangements, it’s a systemic problem across the board.
Most insured patients would be shocked if they truly understood their cost associated with the benefits they receive. For example, if an employer offers a plan with a $1,000 annual benefit but takes $40 out of the patient’s paycheck each month for the benefit, the patient is paying $480 annually for a $1,000 benefit. This nets to a true benefit of only $520 and doesn’t even take into consideration the deductible and plan limitations like waiting periods, missing tooth clauses, and replacement clauses.
If you do have a dental savings plan in your office, November is the perfect time to start a conversation with patients about why your plan is a better option.
If you are a fee for service practice who accepts assignment of benefits, there is a very good chance your patients’ out-of-pocket expense will be less on your plan, especially if they have a treatment plan that exceeds their annual benefits.
If you don’t have a plan it’s not too late to get one in place in the next few weeks. As the calendar year progresses, more and more of your patients will be maxing out on their benefits or delaying much-needed treatment to January when benefits often renew. Whenever that happens, it’s a perfect time to share with them the specifics of your plan and the fact that yours has no annual maximum and there is never a reason to delay the care they need.
