QDP allows dentists to better meet the needs and wants of today’s dental patients
As a health care provider, it’s frustrating not to be able to help people because of perceived affordability issues. Most dental patients are effectively trained to understand their dental insurance based on the comprehensive/catastrophic medical insurance model, where there may be a small copay or deductible, but beyond that, everything within reason is “covered.” Many patients don’t realize that in contrast, dental insurance is neither comprehensive nor catastrophic, but rather a defined benefit program with high administrative costs and bureaucracy. And because dental insurance maximums are so low, having hardly changed in the past 20-30 years, insurance ends up effectively limiting treatment rather than facilitating it.
A Glimpse into the Mindset of the Typical Dental Patient
What you may not know is that dental patients are confused by this not so subtle difference between medical and dental insurance. The medical insurance model has taught them to believe that if insurance doesn’t cover it, it must be unnecessary, discretionary, experimental or exploitative. And they’re secretly resentful that they’ve paid high dental insurance premiums and still have to fork out additional out of pocket costs; it just doesn’t seem fair compared to how their medical insurance works.
QDP helps patients get past that hurdle – and allows them to feel as if they truly “belong” in your practice. QDP allows you to help patients say “yes” by giving them an affordable option, even if they don’t have insurance. And QDP doesn’t bill itself as insurance, but rather as a dental savings plan within your practice that incentivizes preventive care. QDP under-promises and over-delivers while dental insurance over-promises and under-delivers.
QDP – A Benefit Plan with Actual Benefits
The most important thing to remember is that Quality Dental Plan isn’t dental insurance. Rather, patients pay a simple, set annual enrollment fee directly to their local dentist, bypassing the third party entirely. In return they receive a preventive dental care package for the whole year at that dental practice. There’s also a further savings for additional family members, and patients also save on any treatments (restorative, cosmetic, implants), with no limit, and no deductible. Contrast the average QDP annual membership fee of $325, (with no additional monthly premiums, copays or fees) with most insurance plans ($600 per year, with maximum coverage of $1,000), and it’s easy to see the difference.
To patients, QDP feels like a real benefit plan. They have access to dental care and know that they “belong” in your practice – even if their job doesn’t provide dental insurance. Beyond that, patients have the freedom to choose a provider of your caliber rather than be forced to select from the insurance provider list, and QDP helps your patients know up front what their out of pocket costs for preventive dental care will be.