2016 Dental Insurance Benefits: Use Them or Lose Them
Fall is one of the busiest times of the year. Children and parents are still adjusting to the new school year, fall sport seasons are winding down and everyone is preparing for Thanksgiving. Not to mention parents are busy working and providing for the families.
With all this activity preoccupying your time, Railroad Dental Associates just wanted to remind everyone to schedule your family’s dentist appointments before the end of the year. Why before the end of the 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.
Besides taking care of an existing tooth pain or scheduling a routine cleaning and exam, here are 5 reasons to schedule your dentist appointment here in Manassas Park VA.
- Your Insurance Deductible
Your deductible is the amount of money patients pay to their dentist before their 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 or Substantial Changes in Coverage
In 2017 there are *a lot* of changes happening 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.
- Use Your Existing flexible spending account (FSA) Contributions
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.
- As you’ve heard on the news: Premiums are going 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 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.
Contact RDA today 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.
Use your Dental Insurance before you lose it. Whether you need dental implants, Invisalign or Dental Implants we can help. Call today at (703) 365-0230