Anthem Blue Cross Dental Benefits in Katy

Anthem medical and Anthem dental are different cards

Many people carry an Anthem Blue Cross medical card and assume the dentist can bill that same card. Dental is often a rider, a stand-alone Anthem dental PPO, or a benefit administered by a dental partner. The phone number and payer on the dental card are what we need.

Anthem Blue Cross is not the Blue Cross plan in every state. Texas Blues coverage is commonly Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, which we also accept and describe on its own page. If you moved to Katy with an Anthem plan from California, Colorado, or another Anthem state, or your employer uses Anthem nationally, bring that card. We will see whether the dental benefit pays at this office.

Patients who moved to Katy from an Anthem state often still have the old card in a wallet. We would rather see that card and check out-of-area dental rules than guess from a Texas address on a new patient form.

What we verify before treatment

We look up eligibility, the remaining annual maximum, the deductible, and whether preventive care is due. We also check waiting periods. A plan that started last month may pay for a cleaning and still exclude a crown until a later date.

Anthem dental PPOs generally group treatment the way other dental PPOs do: preventive, basic, and major. The percentages are on your group's contract. We will not guess them from the Anthem logo. Implants, orthodontics, and night guards are the benefits that differ the most between groups, so ask us to check those specifically if they are the reason you are coming in.

Anthem dental networks are not identical to Anthem medical networks. A doctor who is in-network for a medical visit is not automatically the dentist the dental plan prefers. We look up the dental network named on your card.

What to bring

If the dental ID is only in an Anthem app, a screenshot of the front and back works. We need the member number and the dental claims phone or payer, not just the medical customer-service number.

• The Anthem dental card, front and back, in addition to any medical card
• The subscriber's name if you are covered as a dependent
• A note of treatment done this year under the same plan
• The employer or group name, if it is printed on the card

How the visit is billed

Dentality files the Anthem dental claim. You should not have to submit a paper form. If Anthem needs a radiograph or a chart, we send it. You get the explanation of benefits, and we reconcile the payment against the estimate we gave you.

If Anthem dental does not apply to a service you need, we will say that before we start and talk through financing. All of the carriers we accept are listed on the insurance and financing page.

When Anthem asks for a narrative, it is usually because the procedure is major or because more than one tooth is involved. We write that note from the chart. You do not need to call Anthem and explain the tooth yourself.