Insurance & Financials
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Over the years we have explored a variety of options to assist our patients and their families in making orthodontic treatment a realistic goal. For the convenience of our patients, we accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover. Payment plans for the non-insured portions of your treatment fee are arranged on an individual basis. We offer interest free plans that most families find will work with their family budget. We now also offer a lower monthly payment option through an outside vendor. While this company does charge an interest fee (like most of your loans) it has made orthodontic treatment more affordable for some families. Even newer is the option of making your monthly payments automatically each month. This can be done as an auto-debit to your personal checking account or you can set up a system whereby your credit card will be charged for your monthly payment. How Do We Make Payment Arrangements? If you have insurance we are happy to assist in the filing of insurance claims on your behalf. However, please be aware that our primary financial relationship is with our patients and their families and not with your insurance company. Paid insurance benefits are often unpredictable (as you probably have already experienced in life) and our patient families are ultimately responsible for the payment of all treatment fees. In the end only a portion of your treatment fee will be covered by insurance (or none at all in the absence of orthodontic benefits) so we offer payment plan options designed to make orthodontic treatment an affordable option for almost everyone. We think it is fair to say up-front that while we are proud to be the most accommodating orthodontic office in the area with regard to payment options we do have rules. Once a payment agreement has been reached we will do everything (and more!) to provide the highest quality care but that your obligation is to stay current with your payment plan. Suspended treatment for lack of payment is frustrating for everyone but allows us to focus our attentions on those patients who are as serious about receiving the highest quality care as we are about providing it! Insurance We are proud to "accept assignment" from most insurance companies and will complete the necessary paperwork on your behalf. We are also a provider for the military dental insurance program. How Does My Orthodontic Insurance Work? There are many different agreements between insurance carriers and their subscribers, and each contract provides a different benefit. However, orthodontic insurance generally differs from regular dental insurance in that each insured individual usually has a lifetime maximum for orthodontic services rather than an annual maximum that renews each calendar year. This benefit is paid as a percentage of the orthodontic fee until the benefit maximum has been reached. Do You Accept My Insurance? We accept all insurances that allow their participants to see the orthodontist of their choice. Some insurance plans do not offer this "freedom of choice" option. In those circumstances you may or may not have an insurance benefit if you choose to see us for your care. There are very few "Preferred Provider" networks to which we subscribe. The simple reason is that most provider networks require a negotiated fee schedule that the doctor must agree to in order to be included in the network. Deeply modified fee schedules lead to compromised levels of care and we absolutely refuse to play on that slippery slope. We will use the same appliances, same treatment techniques and same office policies for you and your family as Dr. Kattner uses for his family, his staff and for the care of those dentists, hygienists and dental assistants who have chosen Dr. Kattner as their family orthodontist. |
