In our last post we pointed out many reasons why it’s a great idea to get in those last minute medical and dental procedures. Below are specific ideas to help you maximize your health benefits.
In general the best place to start is to go through all your medical and dental billings for the year. Make sure that you have submitted for reimbursements of all your co-payments, deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses. Unsure if you have any remaining benefits? It’s a great idea to call your insurance’s member department and find out specifically how much remains in benefits.
Here are areas to consider. Remember to check specific plans for reimbursement guidelines.
Dental:
- Cavity treatments– Untreated cavities usually lead to larger more costly treatment.
- Teeth with ‘stress fracture lies’ often can be treated with dental procedures such as partial one-day crowns or fillings
- Night guards for grinding
- Various tooth brightening procedures
- General exams, cleanings and gum treatments
- Sealants
- Snoring treatments—see Medical below
- Visit www.NapervilleDentistry.com for more ideas of general dental services
Medical:
- Are there prescription medications that could be stocked up and billed for?
- Snoring treatments/ CPAP alternative treatment- if connected with an apnea diagnosis. (Visit www.TiredOfSnoring.com)
- Any moles that need to be evaluated?
- Any testing such as mammograms, colonoscopies or other tests to be considered
- Any vaccinations for future travel, or seasonal
- Any family history of illnesses that could put you at higher risk which may require blood work or other testing (colon cancer, apnea, heart disease)
- Does your plan pay for nutritional guidance?
- Ergonomics based pain such as neck, wrist or other pain from continued computer use
- Blood work for Celiac disease or nutritional deficiencies
- Foot problems
Optical
- A second pair of glasses as a back-up
- Prescription sun glasses
- Examination to check candidacy for laser correction treatment
- Visit health partner (Dr.Sosenko’s husband Dr. Chris Burch’s website) at www.DanadaVisionCenter.com
Also don’t forget to check your plan’s rules. It’s important to check individual plans as to specifically what kind of procedures they may cover, or exclude even after the deductible has been met. Also some companies allow their employees to spend flex accounts until mid- March or a certain number of weeks after the 1st of the year. This may allow you to have a few extra weeks to plan for medical and dental treatments.
Sherman Oaks Dental, located in Naperville, Illinois has been providing family dental care for patients from Naperville, Wheaton, Aurora, Lisle and Chicago surrounding areas for over two decades.