Previous insurance was terminated...what now?

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alwayshungry
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Mar 28, 2006 6:33 pm
Location: Orange County, CA

Previous insurance was terminated...what now?

#1 Post by alwayshungry »

Hi guys,

I'm not sure if anyone's been in the same boat as I'm in, but here's my current dilemma: I switched jobs midway through my orthodontic treatment, and my previous employer provided good dental insurance that covered up to USD2,000 of that treatment (my total is about $5,000).

Fast forward to now when my insurance is no longer in effect, and I currently have no dental insurance, and I receive a letter from the doc's office telling me that out of the 2000, I still have a little over 1200 to add to my current balance (I have a monthly installment plan with their office).

Their billing lady told me that if I had any additional insurance that they can bill for me, I should just show her. I'm kind of bummed because when I did the computations, I will end up paying close to 400 bucks a month if they're to add the balances I have.

So here are my questions:

1. Would there be any individual dental insurance or dental plans that would still cover my treatment even though it's in progress?
2. Oh look, that's my only question.

Thanks in advance, guys.

:(
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BillyNPhoenix
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2006 9:15 pm
Location: Phoenix

#2 Post by BillyNPhoenix »

Always~

I had a similar situation and unfortunately my new benefits do not cover Orhto for anyone over age 19. To get around that I continued my old dental insurance though COBRA (you can choose to COBRA just dental and not elect to continue your old medical coverage). It costs me about $35 a month, but it will still save me money in the long run (the total for Cobra for one year will be almost $500 but the insurance is paying out 1500 so I’m still saving about $1000).

Hope this helps!
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alwayshungry
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Mar 28, 2006 6:33 pm
Location: Orange County, CA

#3 Post by alwayshungry »

Billy, Thanks for the info. I prolly should've asked about it when I was first thinking of switching jobs, cuz it's been a while back since then and I don't think I can elect to have COBRA anymore.

So I guess I'm resigned to paying the remaining balance as well :(

Oh well. Thanks, though! That was still useful info for me.

jt2lang, I was looking at this dental plan called OrthoCare, but they explicitly mentioned the exclusion for on-going ortho treatments. I'll try Googling for Dental Care, thanks!

Yeah maybe I could ask my ortho's biller if I can stretch out payments as well. In her letter to me, though, she already said that if I didn't have additional insurance that my monthly dues would go up. :(

The last resort that I have is to tap into my savings and pay out the additional balance caused by my insurance termination so that my monthly budget wouldn't suffer, but I was thinking of asking the biller to compute the new monthly for me, too, because I'm not sure I was doing my calculations correctly.
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bbsadmin
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#4 Post by bbsadmin »

This is a tough situation. Most dental plans (whether they are insurance or dental discount plans) will not pay for treatment that is already in progress.

I have no idea why they do this, aside from them just wanting to weasle out of paying benefits. I suppose they look at it as a "pre-existing condition."

As far as I understand, you are probably stuck with paying the difference out of pocket. If you had set up some sort of tax-deferred account (FSA - Flexible Spending Account), you can pay out of that and at least save some money. Definitely ask your ortho to re-calculate your payments and help you out.

I wish I had better news for you, but unfortunately that's the way it is. The same thing happened to me a few years ago when I had my braces. After about 10 months, my husband changed employers, and my ortho benefit went *poof* :?
I'm the owner/admin of this site. Had ceramic uppers, metal lowers ~3 years in my early 40's. Now in Hawley retainers at night!
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alwayshungry
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Mar 28, 2006 6:33 pm
Location: Orange County, CA

#5 Post by alwayshungry »

bbsadmin, thanks for the grim but probably true report...I'm already beginning to accept it, since there really doesn't seem to be other options out there.

You're right, I think those plans view these situations as pre-existing, and they've managed to weasel their way out of covering them.

So as much as it is a bummer for me, I'm committed to straightening my teeth, so into the savings account I go :? :FeelSick:
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Miss Smiley
Posts: 2008
Joined: Wed May 02, 2007 11:59 pm
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#6 Post by Miss Smiley »

Maybe you can look into a credit card that has one year no interest. Just a thought, since you can finance and make payments minus the charges.
Upper and lower 1st premolars extracted
Uppers braced 4/6/07 & Lowers braced 4/20/07
ceramic brackets and rectangular arch wires
Est. term: 30-36 months
De-banded: 3/04/09 w/ LBR and U&L Essix
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alwayshungry
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Mar 28, 2006 6:33 pm
Location: Orange County, CA

#7 Post by alwayshungry »

Miss Smiley, thanks, that could be another way to go.
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