Use it or lose it! Did you know that most dental insurance benefits go away after the end of the year? You work hard all year long to earn these benefits, so you want to make sure you’re taking full advantage of the benefits you haven’t yet used this year. Otherwise, you might not get to use them at all!
Insurance Companies Won’t Tell You
Using your dental benefits before year end could save you hundreds of dollars in dental care. Most plans run on a calendar year meaning that when 2016 is over, so are the benefits. Big dental insurance companies make huge sums of money when consumers don’t use the dental benefits they’ve earned. They don’t want you to use these benefits because it means more money in their pockets! You as a patient need to check to see what benefits you have left over and see when they expire. Odds are it’s December 31st! You’ve only got a little time left, so you’ll want to make your reservation soon!
Deductibles
When the calendar officially changes to 2017, your deductible will likely reset. Your deductible is the amount of money that you pay out of pocket before the insurance company gets involved paying for dental work. Deductibles are often annual, meaning that in a calendar year, once you’ve spent a certain dollar amount, the rest of the year’s dental work is on the insurance company. When the year changes, any deductible that you’ve paid resets and so you will have to pay it all over again.
Premiums
You are likely paying monthly premiums on your dental insurance. You should be using your dental insurance since you are paying for it! By coming in regularly for something that you are already paying for, you can prevent bigger problems in the future like gingivitis, cavities, and even oral cancer. If you aren’t visiting the dentist, you’re paying those premiums for nothing!
Annual Maximum
Your dental insurance plan probably has an annual maximum. This is the maximum amount that dental insurance will cover within a calendar year. This amount often does not roll over into the next year, so if you haven’t spent the maximum amount that your dental insurance company is willing to pay this year, you are actually losing that money! Come in and get your dental work done before the end of the year and these benefits go away!