Dental policy benefits
While reading through some insurance policies, you'll run across the term "UCR fee." These letters stand for the words "Usual, Customary and Reasonable." Insurance companies use "UCR fee schedules" as a way of controlling their expenses.
When do these fees come into play?
A company's "Usual, Customary and Reasonable" fee schedule is referenced every time a claim is submitted.
The wording found in most policies is one where the insurer will pay a set percentage of the cost of a procedure (like 80% of the cost of a filling) based on the dentist's actual charges or the insurance company's UCR fee for that procedure, whichever is less.
How are these fees calculated?
Insurance companies create a UCR fee for each dental procedure by way of tallying up all of the claims that have been submitted for that specific service within a particular geographic area (like by city, zip code, or grouping of zip codes).
After collecting this information, the UCR value is then set at a level where a certain percentage (often 80 or 90%) of all of the fees that have been tabulated are less.
How UCR-based benefits are calculated.
As an example of how all of this works, take the situation where you have a tooth that needs a dental crown and your plan states that it will pay 50% of its cost.
Your insurance company will have already collected information from dentists in your area that have placed dental crowns for other plan members. And from this data (let's say) they have determined that 90% of them charge $1000 or less.
Based on this information the company then decides to set its UCR fee for dental crowns at $1000.
» Scenario #1: Your dentist charges less than the UCR fee.
Now, take the example where the amount that your dentist charges for crowns is comparatively less than most surrounding dentists. Let's say that they charge $800.
If so, when the insurance company determines your benefits for the placement of your crown, they will pay 50% of $800, which is $400. You would then pay your dentist the outstanding $400 out of your pocket to pay off your bill.
» Scenario #2: Your dentist charges more than the UCR fee.
But what if the fee that your dentist charges is higher than neighboring dentists, say $1200? In this case the dental insurance company will only pay 50% of their $1000 UCR fee, which is $500.
That means that your coverage will only pay $500 of your dentist's bill and you will be responsible for the remaining $700. That's a pretty big difference when compared to the first situation.
If your dentist charges more than your policy's UCR fee, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're over charging.
It's important to understand that if your dentist's fee is more than your insurance company allows it doesn't necessarily mean that they're charging too much. That's because you don't know how the insurance company's UCR fee was calculated.
- What was the cut-off level for the range of submitted fees (90%, 80%, even less)?
- What areas were used for the calculation and was this choice realistic?
- How up-to-date were the fees that were evaluated?
These are just a few of the factors that could create a bias and, in reality, there is wide fluctuation and no regulation in how a company calculates their numbers.
Since an insurance company doesn't share their methodology, it would be impossible to know if their calculations did or did not accurately reflect those fees charged by dentists in a specific area.
It seems like a win-win for the insurance companies.
The use of UCR fees seems like a rigged advantage for insurance companies and maybe it is, maybe it isn't.
It's easy to see how having a low fee schedule can create a financial advantage for them. But, at the same time, it's obvious why a company would need to utilize some type of mechanism that can help to control expenses.
Control your own out-of-pocket costs by being aware.
As explained in the examples above, if there's a big mismatch between your dentist's charges and your policy's UCR fees, it can end up costing you a fair amount of money.
It's easy enough to find out how they compare. You might ask other plan members (that go to your same dentist). Or simply ask your dentist's front-desk staff.
If you find there is a considerable discrepancy, you might ask other plan members that go to other dentists what their experiences have been. You may find that an unrealistically low fee schedule is a problem with your policy in general.
If it is just your dentist, then you might ask yourself what's unique about them. Does their training, manner, experience or expenses associated with providing their services justify their higher fees? If so, then the cost is well worth it. If not, then possibly it's time to shop around for another dentist.
Full menu for this topic -
- Overview of types of dental plans & financial arrangements. - Pros / Cons / Features to look for.
- Types of dental insurance. - Traditional, HMO, PPO. / Open & Closed Panels.
- Procedure classifications: Preventive, Basic & Major dental services.
- How benefits are calculated. - Fee schedules. / UCR fees.
- Common policy limitations and restrictions. - Wait periods, pre-existing conditions, benefit caps.
- Alternative ways to pay for dentistry. - Discount plans, dental financing, cash discounts.
- Assistance programs. - Aid for people in need.
Related topics -
- Cost estimates for assorted dental procedures.