I didn't have to undergo a root canal on the tooth where my dentist had just pulled off a crown.
The roots were not involved in whatever trouble had shown up on the X-ray so I was saved both the pain and expense of a root canal.
Like I say, at first I was pretty happy about it.
It meant less time in the dentist chair and instead of maxing out my dental coverage for the year, I had some wiggle room for something to hurt and be fixed later.
Except...the ever efficient dental office personnel had already billed both me and my insurance company for the procedure. The money had left the building.
I had handed over a hefty amount for my co-pay which I paid out of our Flex Spending account. (Marc had already got a notice telling him major dollars had been subtracted from his account.)
Now I would have to start to fight to get that all back.
I know it'll be a fight because, in my experience, insurance companies and doctor's offices are really good at taking your money and really slow at returning your money.
I will have to convince the dentist's advocate that they need to refund about $800...reset the amount put on my annual maximum allowed and give me actual money back for the Flex Spending part. All along the way there will be confusion.
Sigh.
I just know it's not going to be simple especially since when I asked about it yesterday at my appointment, the girl just kind of brushed me off. (Mind you, I was drugged and slow of lip at the time.)
The dentist thought the solution was to include another crown nearby since I was already numb in the area. "For only another $385 out of pocket, we could get you all set up!"
I declined and asked at the front desk about a refund on the cancelled root canal.
"Oh, we can give you a credit for that for a procedure in the future," she said happily.
No.
"How about we transfer the credit to Marc when he comes in for something?" I asked.
"Or we could do that," she said, bobbing her head. "Of course, we'll have to wait until the insurance gets all sorted out."
Why am I not reassured that this is going to be an easy fix?
Oh my. That is very unfortunate. I can't believe some dental offices have the gall to take advantage of people's money. I hope that the refunding process becomes smoother than you think. Don't worry, as long as you keep at it, eventually they are going to give you guys your hard-earned money back.
ReplyDeleteJamie DeFinnis @ BackMountainDental.com