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Financial & Insurance Policy

 

At Sulphur Springs Dental, one of the questions we hear most often is, “Will you take my insurance?” And the short answer is yes — you can absolutely use your insurance benefits here.

But truthfully, insurance isn’t the reason most people choose our office. Patients come to us because they feel genuinely cared for, they trust our team, and they appreciate the level of skill and attention that goes into every treatment we provide. 

To keep things easy, here’s how we handle insurance: we collect your estimated portion at the time of your visit, and then our team takes care of submitting your claim. After your insurance processes the claim, any remaining balance will reflect the benefits your employer has chosen.

And just so you know — we don’t let insurance companies call the shots when it comes to your health. Many practices adjust treatment recommendations based on coverage limits, but at Sulphur Springs Dental, our focus is always on what’s best for you. Your comfort, your results, and your long-term oral health will always guide our care, not the fine print of an insurance policy.

At Sulphur Springs Dental we make every effort to provide you with the finest care and the most convenient financial options. To accomplish this we work hand-in-hand with you to maximize your insurance reimbursement for covered procedures. If you have any problems or questions, please ask our staff. They are well informed and up-to-date. They can be reached by phone at Sulphur Springs Office Phone Number903-885-7726. Please bring your insurance information with you to the consultation so that we can expedite reimbursement. Please call if you have any questions or concerns regarding your initial visit.

Dental Insurance Benefits

Understanding your dental benefits is not easy. There are as many different plans as there are contracts. Your employer has selected your plan and is ultimately responsible for how your contract is designed. Remember, whether your plan covers a major portion of your dental bill, or only a small amount, dental benefits are good for patients because they help pay for needed treatment.

It is important to know that each contract will specify what types of procedures are considered for benefits. Even if a procedure is medically and dentally necessary, it may be excluded from your contract. This does not mean that you do not need the procedure. It simply means that your plan will not consider the procedure for payment. For example, cosmetic procedures and implants are often excluded from a dental plan.  We encourage you to not let your insurance benefits be your sole consideration when you determine what you want to do about your dental condition.

Many patients have questions regarding their dental benefits. While the Employee Benefits Coordinator where you work can best answer your questions, the following may help.

Patient Billing

We are proud to be part of a team whose primary mission is to deliver quality dental care, with the best service possible.    In order to assist you with the investment in your dental health, we offer the following payment options:

  • CASH  – Always welcome. We also offer our patients the opportunity to pre-pay for services.
  • CHECKS –  We accept checks from local banks, please no temporary checks.
  • CREDIT CARDS – We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.

 

CARE CREDIT

 We offer convenient financing options through our financial partnership with CareCredit. Available financing options offered with CareCredit include 6 and 12 month interest free, as well as extended plans for 24, 36, 48 and 60 months at 14.90% or call 800-365-8295 to apply.


Please remember you are fully responsible for all fees charged by this office regardless of your insurance coverage.  As a courtesy to our patients we file your insurance claim forms with all supporting documentation and xrays through our secure electronic service. This results in a faster reimbursement from your insurance company, most companies respond within one to three weeks.  We do our best to estimate your portion at the time of service, however, we can’t not dictate what insurance companies pay.  Any remaining balance after your insurance has paid is your responsibility, a statement will be sent showing the amount payable.  Please feel free to contact our office with any questions you may have.

We also offer the option of submitting a pre-determination to your insurance company to better predict the amount your insurance company will reimburse,  as well as assuring the recommended service is covered by your insurance company.  In this time of change within the insurance sector, benefits are becoming more and more unpredictable.

If you have questions regarding your account, please contact us at Sulphur Springs Office Phone Number 903-885-7726. Many times, a simple telephone call will clear any misunderstandings.

Insurance & Billing Frequently Asked Questions

To assist our patients in better understand their dental insurance benefits, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions.

The answer is almost certainly “Yes”.  Unless your policy states that you must see a specific network provider, we can help you get the appropriate benefits from your plan.  We are not a participating provider for specific insurance plans; so, we are open to all patients regardless of insurance benefits.  Some insurance companies will tell you that you must see a dentist on their list of providers, yet, usually you are free to visit a provider of your choice. Insurance benefits may vary from provider to provider, though it has been our experience that these amounts are minimal in most cases.  There are exceptions, so become familiar with the specific details of your policy.

Dental insurance isn’t really insurance (a payment to cover the cost of a loss) at all. It is actually a money benefit typically provided by an employer to help their employees pay for routine dental treatment. The employer usually buys a plan based on the amount of the benefit and how much the premium costs per month. Most benefit plans are only designed to cover a portion of the total cost.

That 100% is usually what the insurance carrier allows as payment toward the procedure, not what your dentist or any other dentist in your area may actually charge. For example, say your dentist charges $80.00 for an examination (not counting x-rays). Your carrier may allow $60.00 as the 100% payment for that examination, leaving $20.00 for you to pay.

Benefit plan booklets are often difficult to understand. If any part of your plan is not clear to you or if you think something is wrong concerning what your plan covers, you should contact your Employee Benefits Coordinator or the human resource department where you work.

Many carriers refer to their allowed payments as UCR, which stands for usual customary and reasonable. However, usual, customary and reasonable does not really mean exactly what is seems to mean. UCR is actually a listing of payments for all covered procedures negotiated by your employer and the insurance company. This listing is related to the cost of the premiums and where you are located in your city and state. Your employer has likely selected an allowed payment or UCR payment that corresponds to the premium cost they desire. UCR payments could be more accurately called negotiated payments.

Even a benefit plan that does not cover a large portion of the cost of needed dentistry pays something. Any amount covered reduces what you have to pay out of pocket. It helps

Remember that what insurance carriers call usual and customary is really just what your employer and the insurance company have negotiated as the amount that will be paid toward your treatment. It is usually less and frequently much less than what any dentist is your area might actually charge for a dental procedure. It does not mean that your dentist is charging too much.

 Maximums limit what a carrier has to cover each year. Amazingly, despite the fact that costs have steadily increased, annual maximum levels for dental care have not changed since the 1960s.

Usually the dentists on the list have agreed to a contract with the benefit plan. These contracts have restrictions and requirements. If you choose a dentist on the list, you typically will pay less toward your dental care than if you choose a dentist not on the list. If your dentist is not on the list this does not mean that something is wrong with the dentist or the office.

To save money, many dental plans allow a benefit only for the least expensive method of treatment. For example, your dentist may recommend a crown, with your insurance only offering a benefit towards a filling. This does not mean that you have to accept the filling. The good news is that some benefit will be paid; the bad news is that more of the fee will be your responsibility. Remember that your dentist’s responsibility is to prescribe what is best for you. The insurance carrier’s responsibility is to control payments.

Your plan contract specifies how many of certain types of procedures it will consider annually. It limits the number of x-rays, cleanings and gum treatments it will cover because these are the types of treatments that many people need to have frequently.

State laws regulate these issues. It is insurance fraud to change the dates of service on a claim. Both the patient and the dentist can be prosecuted.

Some plans require that the network dentists observe restrictions to treatment. Many dentists are not comfortable with this.

Because your insurance coverage is between you, your employer and the insurance carrier, your dentist does not have the power to make your plan pay. If your insurance doesn’t pay, you are responsible for the total cost of treatment. Sometimes a plan may pay if patients send in claims for themselves. The Employee Benefit Coordinator at your place of business also may be able to help.