WHY WE ARE NOT A ‘PREFERRED PROVIDER’
Health insurance “preferred providers” are not preferred because of their dental skills but because they have contracted themselves to one or more health funds.
Preferred providers are working for the health funds and not you, the patient. They have agreed to provide services in line with the terms and conditions of the health fund. Our way of providing the best care for you is by keeping our independence.
Remember, health funds are run by business people rather than dentists.
These funds are not part of any government organisation like medicare, they are private companies and have a simple agenda, to understandably make a profit.
As do you, we find it frustrating that many health insurance companies are actively directing patients to their contracted providers, with either aggressive marketing or with the promise of better returns. If you are getting a lesser return from your health fund because you have not been lured to one of their preferred providers then you realistically should be paying a less for your extras “cover”.
Your health fund rebate should be the same as anyone else who holds the same policy, no matter which dentist you choose to see.
The Australian Dental Association does not support “preferred provider schemes”. The fact that these health funds promise “better” rebates with their contracted providers is very unfair on everyone who chooses to remain with their independent dentist. The Australian Dental Association is working to stop this as they maintain that these schemes are seldom in the best interest of patients.
We will not allow a health fund to interfere with our relationship with you and will not hand over our independence and experience to any health fund. Their job is to be third party funders not “controllers”….
