Don’t ring in the New Year leaving your money on the table! If you’ve paid your insurance premiums all year, or you have remaining funds in a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), don’t let these benefits slip away before the New Year starts!
According to the National Association of Dental Plans, only 2.8% of people with PPO dental plans reached or exceeded their plans annual maximum. Many people also have unused balances in their FSA, or Health Savings Account (HSA), which also help pay for dental with pre-tax dollars.
Life gets hectic, so it’s easy to forget or neglect to schedule your routine check-ups. Try to schedule an appointment to come in before the end of the year, so that you can put your dental benefits to work before you lose them.
Here are 5 Reasons to Use Your Dental Benefits Before the Year Ends!
- You Haven’t Reached Your Yearly Insurance Maximum
Your dental provides a maximum dollar amount that can be spent towards your annual dental care. If you haven’t met your annual maximum yet and know, or suspect, that you may need additional dental work, you can take care of some of it this year, and begin with a new maximum next year. While the max amount varies amongst different dental plans and typically resets at the end of the year (Dec 31st), so if you have any unused benefits that you can apply to your dental care, these will be forfeited. - Prolonging Dental Problems Can Cost More
Neglecting annual check-ups or delaying certain dental treatments can lead to more extensive, and costly, future dental treatment. A lingering cavity today can turn into a root canal or, even worse, the loss of a tooth down the road. Stay on top of your oral hygiene care now, particularly if you have the benefits, will help keep your teeth healthy and also keep your future dental costs down. - You’ve Reached (or Just About Reached) Your Annual Deductible
Your insurance deductible is the amount of money that you pay out of pocket before your insurance pays for any of your dental care. This deductible varies between insurance companies and may be higher if you prefer seeing a dentist who is out of your plan’s network. When your plan rolls over at the beginning of the year, you start from ground zero paying towards a new deductible before you can take advantage of your dental benefits. - Don’t Lose Your Existing FSA Contributions
A Flexible Savings Account (FSA) is an account that you’ve established through your employer to have some of your pre-tax pay put into. If you have an FSA account that has a remaining balance in that you can use towards your dental care, you’ll want to use up this balance before the end of the year, as you can lose this by the end of the year. - Your Insurance Could Change Next Year
Changes in health care plans occur every year. If your current health insurance plan changes after the New Year, either because you or your employer change health/dental insurance carriers, next year’s dental benefits may not be as good as they are now.
Not sure if you still have any unused dental insurance benefits? Give us a call at (206) 524-1000 or contact us online to find out if you have any dental benefits remaining! And if you have an FSA account, or a Health Savings Account (HSA), and want to check if you still have funds you can apply, contact your FSA representative (or your Human Resources department, if you’re not sure). You should also verify with your FSA what types of dental services you can be reimbursed for. These generally include dental treatments for the prevention and alleviation of dental disease, including fillings, teeth cleanings, x-rays and other dental treatments.
If you know that you need to have some dental work done and you have benefits that you can apply towards this work, now is the time to get it done…before everyone else is trying to get in before the New Year! Just give us a call at (206) 524-1000 and we’ll make sure you get on the schedule in time!