Was I Taken for a ride by my dentist?

I went to my dentist yesterday for my cleaning, which I am covered for by my insurance every 6 months. While sitting in the chair waiting my dentist says to me " Your insurance does not cover your root canal" ( I had this done Sept., Oct. '07) I got it done thinking I am covered under my insurance plan and pretty sure the receptionist told me " Oh yes your covered". Any way to try to make a long story short the bill yesterday was $774. Thinking to my self the man did the work I got to pay him, asked him how much he expected maybe for an installment he says " Well, Visa or Mastercard would be good and I'll give you $100 discount. I Pay this and feel very taken advantage of and taken for a ride. I was told today as well by the Better business bureau that If I were to address this I would be told it is My responsibility to see that my insurance covers me.

The reality is that you are indeed responsible for charges your insurance doesn't cover..."BUT", the dental office can submit a pre-procedure claim for the purpose of having the insurance verify what they will and will not cover. IF they did that and you have it in writing, the dental office accepted responsibility and you don't owe them....On the other hand, if they didn't verify nor did you, you bought the farm and you owe them. By the way did your dentist mention a health credit plan called "Credit Care"...that is a company that finances health procedures and if you pay off in a year the amount they finance, there is no interest charged. The horse is already out of the barn in your case, but if you need additional dental work have the dentist file an approval claim prior to doing the work and get a written statement showing all charges. Good luck and I wish you well.

I have a cousin who is a dentist and I know for a fact he has to have pre-approve all dental work. I bet his insurance person screwed up, you need to ask your insurance to look into tit and see why they didn't cover it..

Sometimes insurance companys are incredibly slow in getting around to settling your claims. So, it can be months later when you hear your procedure wasn't covered. The information you received when you signed up for insurance with your employer should detail what is and isn't covered. Look it over carefully.
Even if you didn't have insurance, you would still be liable for the charges. This is, in effect, what the fine print says at the bottom of the form you sign when you agree to have the dentist do the work you need.