Negotiated dental rates without insurance

free4now · 10-13-2007, 09:27 PM

I just got a flyer for this company in my Patelco HSA statement:

Dental Benefits Plus: America's Best Dental Plan

They basically give you access to negotiated rates for dental services but you pay the full amount due.

The monthly rates make it look too expensive to be worthwhile for preventative, but might be useful if you know you have some expensive work coming up.

It sounds like it may be of use to some, although I personally can't use it since my dentist isn't in their network.

If anyone knows of other such services especially with lower monthly fees, please post.

tryan · 10-14-2007, 08:14 AM

I asked my dentist if he discounted cash payments ... said he'ld take 10% of the top; 5% for CC payments. Asked him if I could continue to get the group rates megacorp's provider negotiated ... he said "sure". I've been with the guy 20 years ... he saw my son on a saturday with a chipped tooth.

Helps to be a loyal customer when negotiating lower payments.

Ed_The_Gypsy · 10-14-2007, 12:18 PM

Quote:

I asked my dentist if he discounted cash payments ... said he'ld take 10% of the top; 5% for CC payments. Asked him if I could continue to get the group rates megacorp's provider negotiated ... he said "sure". I've been with the guy 20 years ... he saw my son on a saturday with a chipped tooth.

Helps to be a loyal customer when negotiating lower payments.

Hmmm. Sounds good to me!

cute fuzzy bunny · 10-14-2007, 08:36 PM

Most of the dentists on these pseudo plans arent the better dentists, but either youngsters or guys who havent had much luck building their own practice. You can probably call around with a specific set of work you want done and get a similar quote from the same dentists and maybe a bit more from a higher quality/rep ~~barber~~ dentist.

Your regular dentist (and doctor) may give you a break for not dealing with the insurance company paperwork.

If you do your brushing and flossing, ideally with a good braun or sonicare toothbrush, you probably dont need as much preventative care as many dentists would like ~~to bill your insurance for~~ to schedule you for. I've gone four and two years between cleanings and had the dentist tell me that it looked like I just had a cleaning a few months ago.

In fact, I might go so far as to promote that you spend more time on daily care and less time having a guy ~~stab you in the gums with a possibly clean sharp metal tool~~ check you out.

Sorry, it seems that having a parent who taught dentistry and still hearing about it all on a regular basis has had some sort of effect.

saluki9 · 10-15-2007, 09:51 AM

Dental insurance sucks for the most part anyway.

I'm fond of my dentist for his great technical skills, impressive resume, and ability to make things mostly pain free. That being said, those things have given him the ability to not deal with any kind of insurance. He's cash / cc only.

I had a filling last week which ran me $225 and my insurance company reimbursed me a whopping $9!

Jeb-NY · 10-16-2007, 08:34 AM

We dropped dental last year, there was a $1800 cap anyway so it just didn't seem like a good deal, especially with all the deductions and limited amounts they paid. I asked the Dentist about a discount for cash and they said $5 off each visit. Not great but better than a stick in the eye.

Jeb

10-13-2007, 09:27 PM	#1
free4now Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,002	Negotiated dental rates without insurance I just got a flyer for this company in my Patelco HSA statement: Dental Benefits Plus: America's Best Dental Plan They basically give you access to negotiated rates for dental services but you pay the full amount due. The monthly rates make it look too expensive to be worthwhile for preventative, but might be useful if you know you have some expensive work coming up. It sounds like it may be of use to some, although I personally can't use it since my dentist isn't in their network. If anyone knows of other such services especially with lower monthly fees, please post.

10-14-2007, 08:14 AM	#2
tryan Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,454	I asked my dentist if he discounted cash payments ... said he'ld take 10% of the top; 5% for CC payments. Asked him if I could continue to get the group rates megacorp's provider negotiated ... he said "sure". I've been with the guy 20 years ... he saw my son on a saturday with a chipped tooth. Helps to be a loyal customer when negotiating lower payments. __________________ FIRE'd since 2005

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10-14-2007, 08:36 PM	#4
cute fuzzy bunny Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Losing my whump Posts: 22,527	Most of the dentists on these pseudo plans arent the better dentists, but either youngsters or guys who havent had much luck building their own practice. You can probably call around with a specific set of work you want done and get a similar quote from the same dentists and maybe a bit more from a higher quality/rep ~~barber~~ dentist. Your regular dentist (and doctor) may give you a break for not dealing with the insurance company paperwork. If you do your brushing and flossing, ideally with a good braun or sonicare toothbrush, you probably dont need as much preventative care as many dentists would like ~~to bill your insurance for~~ to schedule you for. I've gone four and two years between cleanings and had the dentist tell me that it looked like I just had a cleaning a few months ago. In fact, I might go so far as to promote that you spend more time on daily care and less time having a guy ~~stab you in the gums with a possibly clean sharp metal tool~~ check you out. Sorry, it seems that having a parent who taught dentistry and still hearing about it all on a regular basis has had some sort of effect.

10-15-2007, 09:51 AM	#5
saluki9 Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 1,753	Dental insurance sucks for the most part anyway. I'm fond of my dentist for his great technical skills, impressive resume, and ability to make things mostly pain free. That being said, those things have given him the ability to not deal with any kind of insurance. He's cash / cc only. I had a filling last week which ran me $225 and my insurance company reimbursed me a whopping $9!

10-16-2007, 08:34 AM	#6
Jeb-NY Recycles dryer sheets Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 223	We dropped dental last year, there was a $1800 cap anyway so it just didn't seem like a good deal, especially with all the deductions and limited amounts they paid. I asked the Dentist about a discount for cash and they said $5 off each visit. Not great but better than a stick in the eye. Jeb

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