2016 Dental Insurance Benefits: Use or Lose
Fall is one of the busiest seasons. Children and parents are still adjusting to the new school year, Fall sports for our kids are winding down and everyone is preparing for Thanksgiving and the holiday season.
With all this activity preoccupying your time, Loudoun Dental Associates wanted to remind all our friends to schedule their dentist appointments before the end of this year.
Why before the end of the 2016 year? Because if you don’t use your 2016 dental insurance benefits before 12/31/16, you lose them! Dental insurance doesn’t roll over to the following year. “Don’t use it, you lose it”.
Besides treating existing tooth pain or scheduling a routine cleaning and exam, here are five reasons to schedule your dentist appointment here in Dulles VA, Loudoun County.
- Your insurance deductible
Your deductible is the amount of money you pay to your dentist before the insurance company will pay for your dental services. If you already paid your deductible, but only visited the dentist once, you’re probably not “getting your monies worth”. Your dental insurance deductibles start again each new year.
- increases and big changes in coverage
In 2017 we believe there will be a lot of changes happening to America’s health care plans and coverage. Because of this we strongly recommend you use your benefits before the end of 2016, as there could be fee increases or a reduction in services covered under your current plan.
- Use the money in your FSA (Flexible Spending Account)
Another reason to schedule a dentist appointment with Loudoun Dental Associates before the end of this year is to spend any remaining balance in your flexible spending account (FSA). This is an account that you establish through the company you work for, 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.
- As you’ve probably heard— Premiums may go up
Through your insurance provider, you currently paying dental insurance premiums every month, therefore you should be using your benefits. Even if you don’t have any pain or issues, you and your family should always have regular dental cleanings and screenings looking for early signs of gum disease, cavities, gum recession and even oral cancer.
- Yearly Maximum
Most group dental insurance 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.
Call us now to schedule a dental appointment for a professional dental cleaning or any dental care you may have been putting off before your benefits expire. 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.