2016 Dental Insurance Benefits: Use or Lose
Fall is one of the busiest times of the year for many of us. Children and parents are still adjusting to the new school year, fall sport seasons are winding down and everyone is preparing for Thanksgiving, the holidays and end of the year celebrations. Not to mention mom and dad are still working hard providing for the families.
With all this activity preoccupying your time, Smilez Pediatric Dental Loudoun just wanted to remind our parents out there to schedule your child’s dentist appointments before the end of the year.
Why before the end of the year? Because if you don’t use your 2016 pediatric dental insurance benefits before 12/31/16, you lose them! Dental insurance doesn’t roll over to the following year. If you “Don’t use it, you will lose it”.
Besides taking care of an existing tooth pain or scheduling a routine cleaning and exam, here are 5 reasons to schedule your child’s pediatric dentist appointment in Dulles VA.
Your Insurance Deductible
Your deductible is the amount of money you personally pay out of pocket to your kid’s dentist before your insurance company will pay for dental services. If you already paid your deductible, but only visited the dentist once, you are not “getting your monies worth”. Your deductible starts again each new year.
Fee Increases and Changes in Coverage
In 2017 we’re betting there will be a lot of changes to our healthcare system and coverage. Therefore, use your benefits before the end of 2016 as there could be fee increases or a reduction in services covered under your current plan.
As you’ve heard Premiums may be going up
Through your insurance provider, you currently paying dental insurance premiums every month, therefore you should be using your benefits. Even if your child doesn’t have any pain or issues, your kids should always have regular dental cleanings and screenings looking for early signs of gum disease, cavities, gum recession.
Yearly Maximum
Most dental plans have an annual dollar max. This is the maximum dollar amount a dental plan will pay toward the cost of dental care within a specific benefit period (usually January through December). The patient is personally responsible for paying costs above the annual maximum.
This amount varies by insurance company and usually renews every year. If you have unused benefits, these will not rollover.
Don’t Forget To Use Your Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Another great reason to schedule a dentist appointment before the end of 2016 is to spend any remaining balance in your flexible spending account (FSA). This is an account that you establish through your employer, and that you may have elected to have some of your pre-tax pay put into.
Use it or lose it: If you don’t use all your FSA by the end of the year, you’ll lose them.
Call us now to schedule a dental appointment for your child. Because so many of our patients realize this last minute, November and December appointment slots fill up very quickly. We’ll be happy to discuss your remaining benefits and answer any questions you may have.
