Low monthly California dental insurance plans.
Why is it that the low monthly insurance plans I can afford make it so I can not go outside their network of providers? The dental insurance plans that let you do that are so costly I can not afford them. I am upset because the dentist I have been going to has always helped me.
Reply: You may be looking at HMO dental insurance plans. With an HMO dental insurance plan, you do have to choose a plan network dentist. Many dentists do not participate in dental HMO plans as they do not want to be told what to charge for their services. With HMO dental insurance plans, you do not have claim forms, as the cost of services the plan provides has been predetermined. You, as the insured, will be provided with the fee schedule showing the amount the dentist will charge you for each covered item provided by the plan dentist. When the insurance company can control costs, the saving is passed to you. This is why, typically, HMO insurance plans are much more budget-friendly.
In your case, if your dentist is not a provider of any dental HMO insurance plans, your insurance options would then be limited to dental PPO plans, which does let you choose to pick a plan provider or go to a nonplan provider, keeping your dentist.