Frequently Asked Questions
“Oh no! You are not accepting my insurance anymore?”
Don’t worry, we still accept your current insurance plan. You will still have coverage under your plan but the difference is we will be considered an out of network provider vs in network provider. We will continue to bill your insurance for any appointments you may have on your behalf. Based on your individual plan details and procedure provided, your coverage and copayments will be based on your out of network benefits vs in network benefits.
“How will this affect my out of pocket costs?”
It’s difficult to say how this change will affect you personally as there are thousands of different insurance policies, and each plan offers different benefits and limitations that your employer negotiated. For example, for many patients, they will see no change in their preventative care coverage but may see some increase in their total out-of-pocket costs for treatment procedures.
To understand these limitations, you can request more detail of your out of network benefits from your insurance company or HR company. If you need help navigating these plan details, please let us know. If there are any concerns about cost, we can always send a request for a pre-determination of benefits to your dental plan.
“So, what insurances are you in-network with?”
We are currently in-network with Level, Guardian, and MetLife. While we may opt out of contract with other insurance companies in the future, we will always provide a minimum 90 days notice to our patients with those plans. Open enrollment is right around the corner, so if you receive subsidized benefits from your employer, speaking to your HR representative regarding other options may be beneficial to you.
Our office is also offering an in-office membership plan that may be helpful if you buy your own dental insurance or don’t have insurance. We want to help you get the care you need, and this may get you some savings on treatment.
“My {last dentist, specialist, child’s dentist} is also opting out. Why are so many dentists choosing to opt out of dental insurance companies?”
We want to be as transparent about this change as possible. For us, over the last few years, it has become increasingly difficult to practice as in-network providers with dental insurance companies while maintaining the high quality of care that we value and that our patients deserve.
Our providers take their time to be thorough with patients, and we value one-on-one patient education as the foundation for building trust and long term health. Our commitment to doing the best for our patients means that we use high quality, evidence-based dental materials and up-to-date technologies and partnerships with excellent dental labs.
As insurance companies add more and more restrictions on what they will allow for their in-network providers, including lowering already low reimbursement rates while the costs of business and inflation have sky-rocketed in the post-covid landscape, we have reached a point where we cannot offer the same high quality dentistry we value under their contracts. We are unwilling to compromise our standard of care - our patients, friends and family deserve better than that.
"Is there anything else I need to know?"
Your health and wellbeing come first, and decisions about your health should be between you and your healthcare provider. While we will always do our best to work within and maximize your dental benefits, we strongly object to allowing insurance companies to dictate important decisions regarding your health. We have made the decision not to sign insurance contracts that limit the amount of time we can spend with patients or limit our use of high-quality dental labs and materials. It is our sincere hope that we have the honor of continuing to care for you for years to come.