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I had an employee contact me the other day and was asking for us to provide their dentist with the basic information on his coverage. Simple things like the Percentage of Reimbursement, does he have Major Dental, etc. Of course, we are always happy to help. However, I was wondering why was a Dental Office asking us that basic information, when they can get it directly from the Insurance Company?
So in my usual fashion, instead of just answering the question, I need to know why are they asking the Broker for this information. When we went directly to the Dental Office, they emailed us back and said that due to New Privacy Laws the Insurance Company would not speak to the Dental Office directly, only to the employee.
I hadn’t heard of New Privacy Laws and how does that make sense that the Insurance Companies won’t talk to the Dental Offices? Think of the work it would take to discuss procedures with an employee who has to relay it to the Dental Office. This statement just couldn’t be true???
I have contacted all the Major Insurance Companies that work in Employee Benefits and Dental Coverage, and this statement is not true. Insurance Companies encourage the Dental Offices to speak directly to them. There are no new privacy laws, just the ones we have been working under for quite a few years.
I would also like to mention that Pharmacists have a 1-800 number directly to the Insurance Company. So if you are at a pharmacy and having a problem with a prescription, the Pharmacist can contact the Insurance Company directly to find out what the situation is. Of course, it would have to be in normal working hours.
Glendinning Insurance Services enjoys assisting their clients and we are not publishing this article to pass on helping the client. It is when blanket statements are made that have no foundation to them that starts the research.
If you are looking for a broker who asks Why and gets to the real reason behind the question, contact Glendinning Insurance Services.