In Canada, 70% of health care costs are covered by public insurance, and 30% by private insurance or out-of-pocket payment for services not covered publicly. Dental care is one of these publicly uninsured services. More than half of dental care costs in Canada are from private insurance sources, and the rest come from patient pockets. If you do not have insurance, please scroll to the bottom of this blog for information about financing and payment plans available through BLOK Dental in Saskatoon to lessen the financial strain of your out-of-pocket dental care. If you have personal dental insurance or dental benefits through your employer, please read on for tips on maximizing your coverage.
How much do you know about your dental insurance plan?
Insurance can be confusing at the best of times. Many people are not aware of the details of their dental insurance policy and what’s included, which makes it challenging to deal with payment for your treatments. As a patient, it is your responsibility to understand your insurance plan, and we are here to assist you with using it.
Why doesn’t my dental receptionist have all the answers about my insurance coverage?
As a dental office, we are familiar with many of the common insurance plans, however, there are hundreds of plans out there and it’s impossible for us to know the ins and outs of all of them. Even if we tried, The Privacy Act prevents third parties such as dental office receptionists from accessing information about member plan details. Limited information can be shared with us as a third party and most information is only accessible by the insured party themself.
Understand your coverage.
So you can get the most out of your plan, it’s important for you to know the following pieces of information:
1. What coverage you have.
- Is it a personal plan, or provided via an employer?
2. What your plan covers, including different types of treatments and maximum amounts for each.
- You’ll need to know which types of treatments are classified as preventative dentistry such as checkups and cleanings, major restorations such as crowns and dentures, and basic restorative dental such as fillings or whitening.
- Find out how much coverage you have for each category.
3. The amount of your annual maximum.
4. Your deductible amount.
- What is the minimum cost that you must pay as a patient before your benefits kick-in?
5. When your insurance period ends and whether it auto-renews.
- Find out if you have unused benefits before they expire.
If you are not sure about these details, you can find out either by calling your employer or the HR department at your workplace, or by calling the insurance provider directly with your plan number ready. They will be able to answer your specific questions about whether your coverage includes your Invisalign treatment, dentures, oral surgery, or cosmetic dental treatments. You may also find the information on the website of your insurance provider, or through a smartphone app if your insurance provider has developed one.
Get the app.
Many insurance providers now offer the convenience of a smartphone app to access information about your insurance plan. This allows you to quickly see how much coverage you have used up, how much remains, and when it expires or rolls over. It will also give you immediate access to all of the details about your coverage plan at the tip of your fingers. Find out if your insurance provider offers service through a smartphone app, and if they do, download it and register as soon as possible.
Plan ahead of time to see your dentist.
If your coverage rolls over at the end of each calendar year, don’t wait until December to book your appointments. Maximizing your dental insurance requires that you know when your coverage expires so that you can plan to use it before that time. The end of the year is often the busiest time for many dental clinics, so waiting until December to book might mean you’ll miss out on your benefits for that year.
Book an appointment at BLOK Dental now.
Flexible Financing and Payment Plans Available through BLOK Dental.
Are you putting off important dental work because of the stress of financial strain? We understand how hard it can be to pay for dental treatments without insurance. That’s why we have financing options available to help lessen the load so you can get your dental work done before things get worse. With Paybright, you have the option of making monthly payments over 6 to 60 months, or breaking your dental bill up into 4 one-time installments, interest-free. For more information on this, visit our blog Flexible Financing and Payment Plans at BLOK Dental and Low-Income Dental Coverage Options in Saskatoon.
