Paying your portion of Dental Bill that Ins. doesn't cover.

[OhMari]

I was just reading the posts about the co-paying of medical bills.

We just started going to a new Dentist and they always want me to pay right away my portion of the bill that insurance don't cover.

I do it, but I feel I would rather see what my insurance will pay and then show me my portion.

The finance insurance lady told me she works with insurance companies all day and she knows what they will pay and what they don't. Our new dentist so far has prices above what our insurance will pay, like $185 for a cavity to be filled, plus $20 for the novacane. Our ins will not pay $20 for novacane, plus only $165 for the cavity.

So right there I have $45. I usually do pay, but I would rather wait, I am to chicken to tell them though.

 

[tinaluis]

Maybe they're having you pay upfront because you're a new patient. Hopefully they will relax a little bit once you've been a patient for awhile. Afther the third or so visit, I would speak up and let them know that I'd prefer to wait to see what the insurance will pay. The worst they can say is "no".

 

[Miss Jasmine]

When DH had oral surgery we had to pay what the insurance company didn't cover up front. However, the office staff had contacted the insurance company and SHOWED us what would be covered. I felt okay doing that.

 

[Snowysmom]

I have a problem with paying upfront at the dentist too. They tell me how much I am going to owe and I write a check. Then I get the statement from the insurance company and I almost always have overpaid. The dentist ends up owing me money. I do keep it as a credit since we with 4 of us going to the dentist, it makes sense. I almost have them trained to let me pay after I get the statement from the insurance company!

 

[mrsv98]

I am in the middle of a procedure and we sent the info to the insurance first so we knew what they would cover and what I would have to pay. I did pay the difference up front but I know that is all I have to pay. I don't mind paying up front in this situation.

 

[ead79]

That seems odd to me. My dentist bills you after they talk to the insurance company (and after they appeal to get things covered that should be covered like x-rays). Also, if my insurance only covers $150 for a tooth cleaning, but my dentist charges $175, he will usually knock the bill down by the $15 so you don’t have the out of pocket expense. I do have to pay my percentage of fillings and crowns and things like that, but he bills for those things.

 

[mickeyboat]

Our dentist requires payment for services at the time they are performed. They see billing the insurance and foregoing what they anticipate they will be paid as a courtesy to the patient. I can't say that I blame them.

Our dentist belongs to the our insurance company's "network," and has agreed with the insurance company to charge a specified fee for each procedure. It is clear from the get go what insurance will pay and what I will pay. There is no "balance billing." If I choose to go to an out of network dentist, there is no set fee for each procedure - so I would have to pay my portion, plus the difference between what the insurance company allows for the procedure and what the dentist is charging for the procedure.

From my experience, the people in the dentist's office know what they are doing - at least in dealing with my insurance company.

Denae

 

[browneyes]

That seems odd to me. My dentist bills you after they talk to the insurance company (and after they appeal to get things covered that should be covered like x-rays). Also, if my insurance only covers $150 for a tooth cleaning, but my dentist charges $175, he will usually knock the bill down by the $15 so you don’t have the out of pocket expense. I do have to pay my percentage of fillings and crowns and things like that, but he bills for those things.

My dentist does all this as well. The receptionist will guesstimate what our share will be if I want to pay before we get billed. She's usually within $5 or less everytime she guesstimates for us.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I have a real small town dentist--his father was my dentist until he retired. I actually stopped going 3 years or so ago because he has no "bedside manner", but his appts. are good time for the kids so they go 2x a year. (the popular dentists here won't even make appts. after 2PM--as a teacher that does not work for me, and I don't like taking them out of school anyhow).
Last winter I got a bill for what insurance didn't cover. However, the insurance settlement said he had agreed to accept what they paid him (UCR) and wasn't allowed to bill me for the rest. I told them this and they dropped it and haven't tried it again.
Last time I went myself I had 4 fillings. The first thing the receptionist said was "your insurance will not cover white fillings in the back, but we would rather do them than silver." "How much?" I asked. "$50 each." "Then give me the silver." He didn't like it and grumbled the entire time about it, but no way was I paying $200.
Robin M.

 

[kidzmom3]

I work in a hospital, and we estimate that it costs us $7 to send out the bill for the copayment, which is 92% of the time not paid on the first billing. We then bill again for another $7, and the persons $50 owed to the hospital is really only paid at $36. This includes the time the biller must spend getting the bill ready and the amount to process and bill out. Plus the time that each biller spends every day explaining to people, that yes the insurance company does pay, but you do still owe your copayment. No we will not write off your copayment and just accept the insurance amount. Insurance contracts are negotiated using the copay as cash into a medical practice.

 

[Blondy876]

My dentist requires me to pay all of it. Even the part that the insurance will pay. Then the insurance reimburses me. The insurance covers almost all of the bill usually, and it only takes about 2 weeks to get the money back but still. I need to have 3 cavities filled and a crown replaced but I can't afford the upfront cost, even though I am going to get it back eventually.

 

[aprilgail2]

My dentist takes whatever the insurance company pays as full payment...never costs me a dime to go to the dentist. But my daughters dentist is 125.00 for the cleaning and I pay like 86.00 of that...I pay right then, they work with the insurance companys all the time, they know what they will pay.