Do you go to a doctor or dentist that doesn't accept insurance?

[Anonymous]

Hi, all.

I need to get a tooth extracted. Both my general dentist and my endodontist are recommending an oral surgeon who does not take insurance. Usually I just try to find a provider in network, but I'm nervous about this procedure. Have you ever gone out of network, even when there were in-network docs available?

Thanks for any insight.

[Anonymous]

I did once for a prosthodontics and will not do that again. In that case the tooth was the front tooth so I cared but it was really expensive. What is the procedure? If it's A root canal and the ended insist is passing on this it would make me think it's complex. For a tooth extraction And implant a periodontist can do this.. Also depends on the location of the work done..

[Anonymous]

Not for dentistry but I've got SN kids and very few of their specialists take insurance. IME, the best ones don't have to. Now, I'm not saying there aren't good providers in-network and I'm certain there are lousy providers that don't take insurance. Just don't assume that someone who doesn't take insurance isn't a good provider.

[Anonymous]

My GP is out-of-network and DH goes to a specialist that is. The GP is awesome -- he schedules like an hour with each patient, takes his time, has you come to his office afterwards to talk through everything, etc. We can also get sick visits that day or the next, usually, and if he can't, he'll sometimes call in a prescription if it's something routine. The specialist is for a chronic illness and the name came up over and over when we first moved here and were asking around for recommendations.

That said, I don't think I'd do it in this case. For something like surgery, there are often lots of different charges -- doctor, anesthesia, facility, etc. It could be hard to estimate costs and they have a way of ballooning quickly. Also, unless there were reasons why I felt like my particular surgery was going to be more challenging than most extractions, I don't think oral surgery is something for which you need to see a super top doctor.

FWIW, I think that it's going to become more and more common for the best doctors not to take insurance. Like a PP said, the best often don't have to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not for dentistry but I've got SN kids and very few of their specialists take insurance. IME, the best ones don't have to. Now, I'm not saying there aren't good providers in-network and I'm certain there are lousy providers that don't take insurance. Just don't assume that someone who doesn't take insurance isn't a good provider.

Medicaid provides HORRIBLE reimbursements for providers. HORRIBLE. Like they lose money on every claim they submit.

[Anonymous]

None of my doctors take insurance. It sucks, but they are awesome doctors. I pay out of pocket and then submit the bills to my insurance. I usually get very little back because insurance has a standard rate that they pay for things. This is also the reason why doctors can't afford to take insurance.

[Anonymous]

I need an extraction and implant and I'm finding that it is extremely difficult to identify a good periodontist that is in network. Not saying that there aren't any, just that they are hard to ID among the multitudes listed in my insurance plan. Angie's list and yelp are not that helpful. It seems like the dental field is saturated with one stop shop dentists which is a red flag for me - I won't go to a dentist who does root canals and implants on top of general dentistry. Getting to your question, I've visited several periodontists and the standout is not in network but is 30-50% higher. I'm contemplating just going with him because he impressed me the most and mouth surgery is not something I want to take a chance on.

[Anonymous]

My dermatologist doesn't take insurance. But she's awesome, fits me or my kids in same day and I have an extensive history of skin cancer and greatly appreciate her approach to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dermatologist doesn't take insurance. But she's awesome, fits me or my kids in same day and I have an extensive history of skin cancer and greatly appreciate her approach to it.

Would you share her name ? I have skin cancer all thru my family & want a good cancer derm vs all the cosmetic stuff that everyone seems to be doing.

As for the original question: yes, my GP & dentist are both out of network & don't take insurance. My geneticist too for all 3 pregnancies. They are all too good to leave though.

[Anonymous]

My dentist accepts insurance but I don't have any. He's great and I love him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I need an extraction and implant and I'm finding that it is extremely difficult to identify a good periodontist that is in network. Not saying that there aren't any, just that they are hard to ID among the multitudes listed in my insurance plan. Angie's list and yelp are not that helpful. It seems like the dental field is saturated with one stop shop dentists which is a red flag for me - I won't go to a dentist who does root canals and implants on top of general dentistry. Getting to your question, I've visited several periodontists and the standout is not in network but is 30-50% higher. I'm contemplating just going with him because he impressed me the most and mouth surgery is not something I want to take a chance on.

Who was that you saw?

[Anonymous]

My kids see a pediatric dentist that doesn't take our insurance.

[Anonymous]

My dentist doesn't take insurance, but she provides an itemized receipt that I then submit to my insurance. Dental insurance seems to be way easier to submit to than when I've tried to do this with medical insurance. They do pay less, so like 75% for out of network. So while I wouldn't pay anything in-network for a cleaning, I end up paying about $15 or so. Not enough to make me get off my butt and find a new dentist.

You should check what your reimbursement rate is for out of network and then balance that with how much you're willing to pay out of pocket to see the dentist of your choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I need an extraction and implant and I'm finding that it is extremely difficult to identify a good periodontist that is in network. Not saying that there aren't any, just that they are hard to ID among the multitudes listed in my insurance plan. Angie's list and yelp are not that helpful. It seems like the dental field is saturated with one stop shop dentists which is a red flag for me - I won't go to a dentist who does root canals and implants on top of general dentistry. Getting to your question, I've visited several periodontists and the standout is not in network but is 30-50% higher. I'm contemplating just going with him because he impressed me the most and mouth surgery is not something I want to take a chance on.

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