Display

Happy New Year from the Team Dover Dental Team

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Aaron Krance
  • 436th Aeromedical Dental Squadron
Greetings and Happy New Year Team Dover,

As many of you know, your Dental team held a Town Hall Dec. 9, 2017, to discuss the changes to your benefits associated with the change of your TRICARE Dependent Dental Insurance from MetLife to United Concordia. Since not all were able to attend and get the information first hand, I thought I'd share the salient points with you. I'll keep it brief, but you can always call the Dental clinic at 677-2028 if you'd like more details/updates about any of the points listed. Here we go...

1. Not all dentists in the local area who previously accepted MetLife as payment in full necessarily accept the new United Concordia (TRICARE dependent dental) insurance as payment in full. Call your dentist and ask or check the website (https://www.uccitdp.com/dtwdws/member/landing.xhtml) to find out if your dentist is in network. If your dentist is no longer participating, they will likely still accept the insurance as partial payment, but you will receive a bill for expenses not covered by the new insurance.

2. There are still eight dentists in the local area (within 10 miles) who are accepting new patients if you choose to switch over to an in-network dentist, plus one more in Smyrna. Check the website for details.

3. Both pediatric dentists in the local area have dropped United Concordia. They are currently in negotiations with United Concordia to reach an agreement to have them added back in network once a new fee schedule is negotiated.

4. If your child was already in a course of treatment with a local pediatric dentist, you may continue that treatment but you will receive a bill for the balance not covered by insurance in the meantime.

5. Our local pediatric dentists are fantastic and excellent at what they do, but not all children need to see a pediatric dentist. If your child requires basic dental care (exam, cleaning, a filling), that is well within the scope of care for our general dentists as well. Most local dentists are happy to see children; just call and ask to be sure.

6. The website is misleading when it calculates distances to dental offices. It measures straight line distance "as the crow flies" which means in many cases straight across the Delaware Bay. For example, the pediatric dental office in Rio Grande, New Jersey, is listed at 33 miles, but it will take you 127 miles to drive there. Double check the driving distance with GPS or online maps!

7. Lastly, if you still have questions about your coverage or want to get an update on whether a specific dentist has been added in network, you can call United Concordia directly and speak with a representative. Their phone number is 1-844-653-4061. Here's an insider's tip: wait until you hear "Are you the member or a dental office," then press "0" and you will hear "please remain on the line" and you will get a LIVE PERSON.

If you have any questions still unanswered please call or stop by the Dover Dental clinic. We are happy to help you find the answers and have pamphlets available to disperse that may be of help.