Delta Dental
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323 Delta Dental Consumer Reviews
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Great coverage with no co-pay for preventative services such as X-rays and cleanings. Insurance cost was really reasonable as I purchased thru my employer and the network dentist is less than 5 miles away from my home!
Well as we have used the dental insurance more than once it’s been very helpful talking to customer service and prices they quoted were very accurate once we saw the dentist. So we were more prepared in expectations instead of the ‘guess work’ from previous plans? I’ve been more than pleased and have also renewed it for 2019 thru my husband's insurance plan? Would recommend this company to anybody too.
I love Delta Dental. Have had for 20 years+. I was ecstatic when I found it became available for military retirees. Even though now I have to pay a premium. I like being able to coordinate benefits with my wife’s carrier. Our network dentist have always been top notch.
I have been a customer for 8 years & love the great coverage and the great job DELTA DENTAL is doing. Please keep up the good work. Thanks for everything and please keep the cost down like you have been doing because my family and I really appreciate it.
I am shocked when I read these reviews. Is there another Delta Dental? My husband works for Sunoco and this is the dental insurance and we have had them for years. I have had many a procedure including crowns and root canals and we couldn't ask for better insurance. They pay 80% for the procedures I have mentioned. My dental office could not believe it. They said they have never seen anything like it. Most plans don't cover what ours does. There is of course a cap each yr but my goodness I have had a lot of work done. My dentist is excellent so I think the problem these people are having are their dentists not the plan. My husband just got a bridge done as well along with a crown. Again it has to be the dentist. I even got money back last yr from my dentist.
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I signed up for your PPO plan B, got your certificate of coverage, I looked up Endodontics coverage. Under the banner that says: Benefits available the first year. Endodontics was listed at 50% coverage! There's no * no other words in the column! And ended the banner, "Additional benefits after 1 year of continuous coverage." There is nothing about Endodontics or root canals! I'm seriously considering dropping their insurance for this.
I used Delta Dental of California one time while awaiting my 100 percent service connected disability. Then I find out I have to pay for 12 months of membership. On top of that, they illegally debited my account for the last two years and after getting BBB involved sent me a check for 77.00. I am sending it back and filing in small claims court for the balance they owe me. Veterans, stay away from this company.
I was told I had to wait 6 months before a root canal would be covered. I spoke to customer service, filed an appeal to shorten the waiting period, was denied, and then at the end of the 6 months was told that I didn't have coverage for that anyway! Despite my coverage summary page saying specifically "ROOT CANAL," and despite multiple customer service reps referring to the waiting period for the root canal, they said I was not covered for a root canal. Absolute FRAUD.
I have been trying to find a DECENT dentist through this ** entity for several months now. The first "dentist" didn't care about me and only wanted to see how much $$$ they could get out of me and the second one was too LAZY to take x-rays. So, I have emailed and called this joint 14 times to try to get find a dentist and all I get is, "I can't help you with that" or email instructions that have no basis in reality. Avoid Delta Dental like the plague.
My fiance and I have a domestic partnership and were trying to get on one policy through Connect for Health Colorado. We were finally able to get on a plan together but a new plan was auto generated or something at the beginning of the year for just me when I had already got on my employer's insurance. He canceled our group plan in February, but 25.25 kept getting pulled from our account. I tried to cancel this via phone and asked for a refund and they talked down to me. I was told I had to do it online and that I would not be refunded. She asked me how I accidentally created a plan, which was completely inappropriate and not good customer service. I feel disrespected on top of cheated by the company. How can you double bill someone for the same services and not give a refund? It's criminal and frustrating and I just expected it to not be a big deal to refund someone for services they did not receive or want.
My orthodontist called and sent in information many times. I called several times. We were both trying to figure out why they would not pay a bill. They were very rude, and never did come up with a good answer to why they would not pay.
I am a new customer of Delta Dental and had my first ever root canal with an in-network provider. The endodontist completed the root canal in 1 visit without complications and insisted that I pay over double what was listed as the contract rare for a root canal. The first customer service rep attempted to help me by contacting the dentist and insisting upon an explanation of why I was billed so much “off the record.” Subsequently the endodontist sent a revised bill which included charges for a second visit that never transpired. Also, $55 of the charges were determined to not be billable to me. Delta Dental “accepted” as an appropriate charge a $185 misc 9999 purported procedure that was already paid in the bundled “root canal fee.”
Delta Dental insists they do not have a fraud dept and that if I want to attempt to resolve the matter... I need to file a grievance and it’s my word against the dentist’s word about whether a second visit transpired. Delta Dental also insists that I need to compel the endodontist to issue a refund for the charge I already paid that Delta Dental has acknowledged was not due from me.
Shockingly I bought this plan from AARP falsely assuming that it would protect me as a senior citizen consumer. If Delta Dental would order the dentist's notes they likely would be able to quickly identify the second visit never transpired and the work was completed during the first visit. Moreover, with minimal effort Delta Dental would be able to confirm that there were not any services performed appropriate for the rarely acceptable 9999 code. Very disappointing to see how Delta Dental handles its contract for seniors on restricted budgets.
I cancelled my membership and called Delta Dental to make sure they knew I cancelled and they said "It was all taken care of" but then they billed me for a premium. I asked them to refund this right away and they said they would but instead they sent a letter asking me to enroll again. I am not even eligible to enroll because I no longer belong to AARP. I now have to spend time and money to file a complaint with the Federal Insurance Commission to get my money back. STAY AWAY FROM AARP AND DELTA DENTAL.
Awful experience. Do not use the term Insurance when you refer to a Delta Dental plan. It is not. At best, it is a discount plan that you buy into and a pre-payment for anticipated services that you may not even incur. Delta is not regulated by the Department of Insurance and follows none of the rules regarding transparency or good faith and fair dealing. It is a system that is designed to deceive, conceal, avoid and deflect.
Employers are able to negotiate sweetheart premiums and benefit packages with Delta that are not available to individuals. When our family was covered under an employer group plan we located a Delta Dental provider dentist. For several years we had the usual cleanings, exams and cavities. We relied upon the guidance and advice of the Delta dentist as to what the plan covered and were reassured that as a contracted Delta dentist he would accept whatever determination was made by Delta, that his staff would handle all pre-authorizations and any billing issues so that we could depend on no surprises. All worked well for routine services under the employer plan.
When we lost the job, we lost the Delta coverage and for a time our dentist billed us at the negotiated Delta fee rate. One visit, everything changed. I was told that I needed four crowns. Six months earlier, my exam was perfect. My wife had gotten a crown under the group plan so we knew what it should cost. However, as a cash paying patient, my fee was going to be 40% more. Why? The explanation from someone in whom we had placed our trust was puzzling.
If I bought back into the Delta plan, I could get the discount, the negotiated fee and under his contract with Delta he would have to accept their determination. If not, he could charge whatever he wanted. I was told to contact Delta to get signed up. Delta charged me a higher monthly fee than we had paid under the employer plan, not surprising. The benefits outlined were exactly the same including contract language about Delta contracted dentists acceptance of claims determinations. Ok. So let’s get the crowns. Not so fast.
Despite having the prior employer Delta coverage, my same Delta dentist was unable to get around the six month waiting period under the individual plan. So I waited for the needed work. At the six month mark, I asked my Delta dentist to confirm my coverage, get pre-authorization for the crowns and confirm the plan benefits so I could pay any balance and know my financial obligations. All was arranged and a written treatment plan including the Delta benefits and out of pocket was supposedly confirmed.
After the billing, claim processing and adjustments, the Delta dentist who had agreed to handle everything and that there was to be no surprise, informed me that I owed more money and refused to represent me to Delta. I completed a written dispute and appeal to Delta after many frustrating phone calls to Delta where I received conflicting advice and explanations from Delta representatives. The denial of my appeal essentially said that Delta had determined that it had paid the claim correctly and the case was closed. Again and again my Delta dentist was asked to intervene as had previously been promised.
Finally an explanation was given that although I purchased the most expensive Delta plan offered, it was not the same as as the prior employer plan, that internal agreements between Delta and its member dentists and not disclosed in my plan agreement would limit benefits to amounts less than apparent in promotional or actual plan documents. Both Delta and its contracted provider dentist refer to vague language that the patient is responsible for any balance beyond the benefits paid by Delta. This flies in the face of the representations of coverage confirmation, benefits confirmation, pre-authorization and agreed patient financials after accepting Delta’s determination as payment in full.
I received a new crown due to previous dentist messing the one they put on before. Delta Dental did not give the past records to the new dentist showing I had previous work done. And now they denied the claim after the new procedure is already done. Delta Dentist should be held accountable for their wrong within their company and system.
I started a plan for my son at the beginning of the year and every month trying to pay my bill has been a nightmare. Their 3rd party website never get my payment through and they don't take payments over the phone. In this day and age it makes no sense that mailing a check is easier than paying online. Please do something to correct this problem.
Just awful. I have never had worse dental insurance. Even DENTICAL--which is free CA insurance--is better than this.
1) Misleading with information: They send you a package when you first get benefits which basically discourages you from calling the company. They encourage you to pick out your dentist online. If you do call, often the operators are very rude to you and I quote them: "you need to ask the right questions." If you ask for information but do not ask a specific question regarding the information you need--they won't provide it. For example, I asked over the phone which dentists were eligible for me to see. They told me I could search for dentists online and could see any dentist on the list of search results. They FAILED to tell me that I had to specifically filter for DentaCare dentists--even though they could clearly see I had DentaCare. This is how they make their money--they leave out information so that you end up picking an incorrect provider and they don't have to cover you. When I called to complain about this, they said, "you need to ask the right questions." They told me I had never asked about DentaCare specifically--even though it was new to the insurance and did not even know what DentaCare was at the time. It is their responsibility as a company to give me information so I can make informed decisions.
2) Horrible customer service: Out of the 3 times I called, 2 of the operators were extremely rude to me. They need to remember their PLACE as a company: They are providing HUMAN SERVICES, and good customer service should be a priority. The customer is always right--repeat that mantra Delta Dental.
3) Poor ethics: I had a dentist stick his hands in my mouth without wearing gloves. This dentist was apparently assigned to me, so I called Delta Dental and requested that he be taken off of my account due to this. First of all, they were rude on the phone when I called. Second, this year I went to a different dentist and now they don't want to cover the visit because they are saying I was still assigned to that dentist. The person I had spoken to on the phone NEVER changed who I was assigned to and gave me incorrect instructions about finding a new dentist. Even though they should have a record of this call, they are saying that there is nothing they can do and will not cover the cost of the other dentist--even though I found them through the Delta Dental site.
4) AWFUL website: There is no way to check who your "assigned" dentist is on the website (no doubt another ploy so that you forget who your assigned dentist is and you accidentally go to another dentist, which means they don't have to cover the visit). Their search engine is awful because it does not automatically filter by dentists your insurance level covers. Moreover, they have 2 search pages on their site and the search results do not match. The instructions for picking your providers on their website are INCORRECT according to what they told me over the phone. Nowhere on their website (not on your profile nor electronic insurance card) does it say which dentist you are "assigned" to. Their website is bareboned and difficult to navigate and honestly really cheap considering how much money they are making off of us contributing to this insurance.
This is a company that does not care at all about the people it is covering. Do yourself a favor and switch. I am appalled that UCSD picked this company as their provider--especially considering all of the complaints against this company.
I was a happy Delta Dental customer for 41 years. I retired and switched to AARP Delta Dental against my better judgement. Misinformation from representatives, high cost and practically nothing paid. Rude condescending grievance department, unauthorized fund withdrawal. After 41 years being a Delta Dental customer I had to wait one year to get anything but a cleaning then the amount covered of a 1500 dollar pre op authorization was around 300. AARP you're giving Delta Dental a bad name. Check out Kaiser health and dental plan 29 per month instead of 68 from AARP.
Beware, Delta Dental is going to get the last laugh. Yes they may be fine paying claims but they don't bother telling you are signing up for an annual policy that does not revert to month to month after the first year. So when you have a major life event like a new job you cannot cancel your policy. They are going to continue to charge you for the remaining 8 months for you and your family. So yes they are going get the last $200 or more dollars out of you regardless if you get a job with insurance, get married, divorced or anything else. Or you can put yourself in a position to have a collection record on your credit report. Prepare to be screwed because sooner or later you aren't going to need the insurance anymore and it's unlikely that is going to happen on your renewal date or that you will even remember when that is.
Like others I signed up with Delta Dental via Costco. On their website they claim that a tooth extraction costs a mere $42. Not so. I paid $220! They also claim that through them, a bridge will cost around $350. Once again, NOT SO. I was quoted a minimum of $880 for a bridge. Very disappointing. When it sounds too good to be true... BEWARE. This is just a scam to take your money.
Don’t regurgitate my policy when I’m disputing coverage. My son had a checkup in July and was due the following January. He needed to go a couple of weeks before his “anniversary date” since he was returning to college a plane ride away. Since he would not be returning for almost 6 months he would miss a checkup. When this was brought up to Delta they just quote the “anniversary date”. Aren’t they supposed to promote preventative care?! Mindless droids are unable to provide good customer service.
I had a basic PPO plan with Delta Dental in which the booklet stated that root canals were covered at 50%. When I was told I needed a root canal, I called Delta and was informed that they were not covered under the basic plan. I then switched to the premium plan. My waiting period started completely over which meant I had to wait 1 year even though there was no lapse in coverage. However, when I made the switch, the representative informed me that my waiting period would not change with the new policy. I was completely misinformed.
We were dropping Delta Dental due to my husband no longer work at the same workplace. Called Delta to ask about the benefit's end date, what's covered, etc. Was told to get treatments started before the end of January of this year. Delta Dental failed to inform me they will only cover my bridge procedure after the bridge has been delivered, which it was delivered in Feb. Now I am left with an $800+ bill that they're supposed to pay after my United Dental paid their part.
I called many times and each wait is about an hour long to speak to a representative over the past week to ask for a letter stating for proof of current coverage to be enroll in my new insurance. However, one representative told me it is impossible, the other one told me he will email me the next day but never did, and the other lady told me that my request is in outstanding and I have to wait between 3 to 5 business days but not sure if I will get my request. The tone of their voice seems unfriendly and they don’t want your business. I don’t understand how complicated it is to request such simple information. I am very disappointed with just this minor request and they cannot do their job. I really need this urgent for my new coverage and cannot believe the service is this awful. I will never get Delta Dental service again.
I had a Delta Dental premium (most expensive) plan for several years. Everything was fine as long as I had routine, preventative work and a couple of cavities. But then I needed upper and lower partials, which were placed on 2/14/19. The bill was submitted to Delta Dental. My dentist office said I had $590 left on my dental plan for the year. The plan stated dentures were paid at 50%. I heard nothing from Delta Dental. I called them on 3/14/19 and was told they never received the claim. Of course. I immediately resubmitted the claim, and USPS reported it was delivered on 3/18/19. It is now the end of March, and I have received nothing from Delta Dental. I cancelled the method of premium payments today. I will use it to pay for my dental work. I hear the dental discount plans are better. We’ll see.
I had Delta Dental and you had to wait an entire year to have some particular thing done. I waited the year and they didn't pay for nearly what they advertise that they do. Their ad on TV says they cover everything. They do not. Not even close.
I pay nothing for preventive checkups, and I am satisfied with major dental services being covered. Monthly cost is affordable. Customer service needs to be trained to put a smile in their voice, though.
Delta Dental has been a pain to work with in regards to customer service. We have been advised that our son needs to see a pediatric dentistry however there within the network the closest available who is taking new patients is 45 mins away. This will not work for us. Besides that, we had been double charged for our premium, auto deducted from my paycheck and charged also on our credit card. This has been a mess and we're still working things out.
$650 annual premiums for $1000 coverage... cheap ** and not recommended. Poor service, if you can get it timely. A waste of payroll deduction. You can find better anywhere. We did and never looked back.
I called to cancel my policy just 2 weeks after signing up as I am starting a new job. They said they would cancel and refund since I didn't use it. 2 weeks later they sucked another $50 from my checking with no warning of course. So I called them back where they stated I needed to send my request in writing via email which I did while on the phone and got confirmation and was told again the policy is canceled & I would get my money. A month later they sucked another $50 from me. This time when I called they said they are not going to honor my request as I am in a 1 year contract. Great. Another faceless criminal organization gets to steal people's money with zero accountability. These people are worse than PayPal!
Delta Dental Plans Association expert review by Cyril Tuohy
Delta Dental, a pure-play dental insurer, is one of the largest dental insurance providers in the country. The company dates back to the 1950s and is committed to expanding access to oral healthcare.
An extensive network: Delta Dental operates in all 50 states.
Plan variety: Nearly every type of dental insurance is offered by Delta Dental, along with unique plans tailored to unique customers. Discount plans are not offered.
Cost-control measures: Delta Dental has negotiated contracts with reputable dentists across the country.
Transparency: Customers can check claims history, estimate costs, review benefits and more on the website.
ACA-compliant: Delta Dental plans are available under the Affordable Care Act on the federal health care exchange.
Affinity: Administers the AARP Dental Insurance Plan.
Best for: Delta Dental is good for families looking for cost-effective dental care and businesses looking to provide coverage for workers.
Cyril Tuohy, has covered the insurance industry for more than 15 years. He is an expert at writing about personal and commercial property-casualty insurance and covers life, annuities and retirement as a staff writer for a top insurance trade magazine aimed at insurance agents and financial advisors.
Delta Dental Company Information
- Company Name:
- Delta Dental Plans Association
- Website:
- www.deltadental.com