Are you Throwing Away your Insurance Benefits?

 The end of the year is closing in on us! If you have pending treatment that your doctor has recommended, and you do in fact have dental insurance, you may want to think about taking care of the dental work before your insurance benefits expire! While some dental insurance plans run on a fiscal year, most run on a calendar year. If your dental insurance plan is on a calendar year, don’t throw that money away by waiting to take care of your treatment until the following year.
The yearly maximum is the most money that the dental insurance plan will pay for your dental work within one full year. This amount varies by insurance company, and can average between $1,000-$2,000 per year, per person. The yearly maximum usually renews every year (on January 1 if your plan is on a calendar year). If you have unused benefits, unfortunately, they will not rollover.
If you are paying your dental insurance premiums every month, you should be using your benefits. Even if you don’t need any dental treatment, you should always have your regular dental cleanings to help prevent and detect any early signs of cavities, gum disease, oral cancer and other dental problems. By delaying dental treatment, you are risking more extensive and expensive treatment down the road. What may be a simple cavity now, could turn into a root canal and crown later.
Lastly, another reason to use your benefits before the end of the year are possible fee increases. Some policies raise the out-of-pocket costs and / or lower the covered benefits at the beginning of the year. It is also the best way of ensuring that whatever money you put away in your Cafeteria plan, FSA & HSA doesn’t get forfeited to your employers. Don’t throw away un-used benefits, make an appointment now!
The office of Kimberly A. Rosen D.D.S., is located at 27420 Tourney Road, Suite 270 in Valencia. For more information, please call 661-255-2545.