G ove r n men t Re lat ions
Some patients cannot see their dentist of
choice because some insurance companies
do not directly pay the non-participating
provider, and the patient cannot afford to
pay for services upfront. This insurance
practice unfairly inhibits patients from
seeking care from their dentist of choice,
even though they are paying for a benefit
that should be able to be applied to any
provider, regardless of whether or not the
provider participates with the insurance
plan.
Parents who are divorced or separated
may experience the problem where one
parent has custody of a child, while the
other parent carries the insurance. The
latter may never send the insurance check
to the custodial parent, who had to pay
for services upfront. Faced with this
situation, many custodial parent postpone
or avoid care altogether.
Patients residing in rural areas are placed
at a disadvantage as there may only be a
handful of dentists who are in-network.
Patients may have to incur more traveling
time and expense to seek treatment
from an in-network provider, rather than
being treated by a non-participating
dentist who practices in closer proximity.
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SE P T E M B E R/OC TOBER 2019 | P EN N S YLVA N IA D EN TA L J O UR N AL