Blue Cross / Blue Shield Dental Coverage Consumer Reviews

CINCINNATI -- Wife needed a root canal. Our dentist, who is a BCBS Dental preferred provider, gave us a list of several dentists in our area who perform root canals who he could recommend. None are BCBS Dental preferred providers. We called BCBS and they gave a list of just three dentists in the Cincinnati area for a root canal. Our dentist had never heard of any of them. We decided to bite the bullet and go to a dentist recommended by our dentist. She did a great job and submitted a bill to BCBS for out-of-network coverage. They paid $274 of a $1454 bill. We paid the rest.

At that point I decided I would likely drop BCBS Dental at the end of the year because if BCBS Dental preferred providers can't recommend an in-service provider for service how are we supposed to find someone? Later that year my wife had her second routine dental exam of the year which is supposed to be covered by BCBS. BCBS denied the claim for the routine service because the dentist who performed the root canal had billed BCBS for a limited oral exam as part of the root canal. BCBS paid $13 of that bill.

In the fine print of their coverage brochure they note that they will only pay for two dental exams a year, whether routine or as part of another procedure. In the bold print advertising their lousy coverage they claim to fully cover two yearly exams which in my mind implies the traditional twice-yearly exam and cleaning. Fortunately open season is around the corner and we're dumping this useless dental coverage. I called customer service and spoke to a representative who explained the fine print. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told to hold on. Shortly afterwards the line went dead.

SOUTH CAROLINA -- My dental work was billed incorrectly as out of network. I called to report the error and the Blue Cross Dental representative said the bill was correct. I told her I was looking at their list of in network dentist and it included mine. She said I must have used a dentist that was in the office but not in the network. I told her I had checked that as well and my dentist is listed as in network. Then she blamed the dental office for the error.

I asked her how that could be the case when Blue Cross makes the in-network list and not the dentist. So, she stated that I had to mail the check back to Blue Cross. I asked her to just void the check and she repeated the check had to me mailed back and gave me the address. I told her that didn't make any sense and she hung up. If you have to call FEP Blue Cross Dental, you can expect an unprofessional representative that lies and hangs up when you catch them at it.

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- I had a mistake not to call to the insurance (BlueCross BlueShield Health & BlueCross BlueShield Dental) to find ahead if my dental office in or out of network. I went to my dental office for years. This time I went there just for the basic teeth cleaning ($297.00 total with X-rays). The dental office has submitted the claim to BlueCross BlueShield Dental Federal Employee program. The dental insurance has declined the claim. That dental insurance is a secondary insurance compare to BlueCross BlueShield Health Insurance.

First the claim should be submitted to BlueCross BlueShield Health insurance because an underwriter sits there. If Health insurance would approve the claim it would send the claim to dental (BlueCross BlueShield Dental ) for coverage. Because my dental office is out of network the health insurance has denied the claim. The dental insurance has denied the claim too. And this is for a basic teeth cleaning once a year, NO other dental procedures during a year. And I pay for dental and health insurance every 2 weeks.

I will change the dental insurance and possibly the health insurance as soon as it will be possible. Draw YOUR conclusions from my story. DO NOT CHOOSE BlueCross BlueShield Dental Federal Employee Program unless you like to donate your money to them.

BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN -- Foreword: I recently was informed that Michigan B/C B/S Dental was turned over to an independent third party in the handing of claims. This is the second and last year I will be dealing with them! First, the 800 number is full of prompts, too many to go through. Second, once you get a person they redirect you to the CSR you were suppose to be directed to! Third, CSR personnel attempt to be helpful but they are file pushers! We will get back with you... and nothing! Fourth, their providers list is outdated and providers are few and far between. A few have not accepted BC for more than a year! The providers who are still left are very reserve in dealing with them. Fifth, in 2019 they finally pay claims for non-provider coverage but with a heavy surcharge.

Fifth. Went into their grievance procedure with a dentist that we NEVER heard the results of our claim even after leaving numerous phone messages! The dentist in question lead us to believe they were within the BC Dental System, billed us ahead $3200 of services and was told later they were never on the list! Silly me that the front office lied to us twice but BC says they would intervene but it was all a hoax!

MIAMI, FLORIDA -- This is the biggest rip off ever. When you try to get a claim processed it takes months and they make you resend everything and then when you send what they ask for, they add all these other things you have to send, which is insane. They barely cover anything if you go to a dentist of your choosing. I had a tooth extract that cost 1000 dollars and they covered 45 dollars of it. Then if you have a problem, you can't talk to the same person twice. They don't give you a person's name or employee number like at other insurance companies. IT's complete and utter madness.

This is such a ripoff and has no value. You end up paying monthly fees that they don't even cover more of than in a year. IT's funny because they really could make a lot more money if they actually offered something of actual value but what they are offering is a complete rip off of no value so people drop the coverage. It even has a bad reputation at all the dentists' office. There is a true dental crisis in this country and you can Google it. It's a result of the greed of the insurance companies. But hey don't worry about this! March in the streets and take up arms because Trump said the wrong thing. That's all that matters in our warped society. Never mind one in four Americans will lose all their teeth after the age of 50.

MANASSAS, VIRGINIA -- Do not get Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental insurance. It is the absolute worst insurance. They will not pay claims and will deny almost everything. I recently found this out the hard way after obtaining several crowns for my teeth. The 47 page handbook says crowns are covered. I thought no big deal, crowns are a pretty standard dental procedure. Then I got my explanation of benefits explaining they would not be covering my crowns because the tooth was not more than 50% decayed. I scoured the handbook and could not find this explanation anywhere in it. I did find a 3 page section of what was not covered and the word crown was nowhere to be found on those 3 pages.

I challenged the customer service department to point out where in their 47 page handbook I could find any information about crowns not being covered. They could not point out a single example of this anywhere. When I inquired about how to cancel my policy they advised I could not and essentially hung up the phone. Dishonest, deceitful and dirty they are for sure. I will stop just short of calling them criminals but nothing would surprise me with this worthless insurance company. A one-star rating only because I can't give any less.

REHOBOTH BEACH, DELAWARE -- I am trying to get a tooth implant. BCBS does not have any in-network dentists within 35 miles driving distance of my home in Rehoboth Beach, DE. But BCBS states that there are dentists in-network in NJ, which requires me to drive on top of the Delaware Bay water. This is insane, but they actually wrote to me stating this is their requirement.

Further, I asked to get advance approval for an implant & they stated that even though implants are on their schedule, because it is their policy to provide only the cheapest procedure, which would NEVER be an implant, since dentures are cheaper - though this would require pulling out all my other teeth. YES, I have this in writing from them. I tried to complain to the OPM, but they said this is not an area they address. I called BENEFEDS, but they said this was entirely up to BCBS, regardless of how full of bullpuckey this is. No Federal Employee should EVER use them.

SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA -- Went to website first. Could not find an answer in an hour of searching. Clicked the "Contact Us" link several times during this search. Guess what is NOT at the "Contact us" page? ANY CONTACT INFORMATION AT ALL. In fact, there is no phone number, email form, or email address AT ALL at the dental site.

Tried calling next day. The phone robot is the first obstacle. Not only does it ask ID questions which will be asked all over again, but it talks and talks and talks. It takes several minutes to connect to anyone, and in the course of begging this robot, you have to guess which Blue Shield department's name is relevant to your question. Example: If I want to change plans and need a detail, is that a benefits question or an enrollment question? Whatever you answered, you got it wrong. In the course of AN HOUR AND A HALF, I received a definite NO and a definite YES to my question. I asked the YES guy, Antonio, to send documentation of that answer. He sent documentation -- which did not address my question at all. He simply lied to get rid of me.

I finally found the correct answer: It is GO TO A DIFFERENT INSURANCE COMPANY. DO NOT TRY TO DEAL WITH BLUE SHIELD CUSTOMER SERVICE. The sad part of this is that my main supplemental medical PPO with Blue Shield is great. But now, I hate the whole company, so I'm looking for a different supplemental PPO.

I will be on Medicare as of tomorrow and wanted to continue my dental coverage with Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I was given the runaround for a month on hold talking to this one that one who sent me to a recording who sent me to pick an option. All I wanted to do was secure a dental plan for 2018. Well I finally figured God was sending me a message when I thought I was talking to a dental representative and it was only a switchboard operator. What a mess. First they pull out of Atlanta Metro from ACA. Then a person tries to get a health plan and NO ONE can answer a simple question. I hope that they go down the tubes where they belong!!!

RICHMOND HILL, GEORGIA -- Absolutely the worse Dental insurance coverage of anyone I have ever dealt with! I picked Blue Cross Dental thinking everyone takes Blue Cross, right?? WRONG!! Most dentists will not take this insurance and I have recently discovered why... they do not pay for anything! So you just pay expensive premiums for them not to pay out much to the provider.

My son went in for fillings, FILLINGS, and I just found out that they only paid 70% of the amalgam rate, a very reduced rate that the insurances have come up with. My dentist office gave me an estimate of what the out-of-pocket would be... I just received a bill for over twice what I have already paid out.

Dentist is claiming insurance is wrong, Insurance is claiming dentist is wrong for charging too much and here I am stuck in the middle... with a huge dental bill I did not even know was coming and horrible insurance for the rest of the year!! I HATE BLUE CROSS/BLUE SHIELD DENTAL!! Do yourself a favor and stay away!