We received a reader comment recently about a rumor saying that the military’s dental insurance provider, United Concordia, is denying extra claims right now because their contract will soon expire and the military will instead receives benefits under a new company, Metlife.
Here is what the reader asked:
“Is there a way we can address the rumor mill on United Concordia and how TONS of people are saying that they're now stuck with big dental bills? Apparently what's being said is that since UC lost their contract to MetLife (who under bid them) they have been denying ALL claims except routine cleanings. I know a lot of people are going to the dentist end of year to use their benefits before they roll over. Are some of us just going to have to wait it out until MetLife takes over so we're not possibly stuck with a huge bill?”
I made a quick phone call to the United Concordia folks to find out what is going on. Are they denying more claims than normal? If not, why do people think that?
The official I reached there, Sharon Duke, a company spokesperson, said this was the first they had heard this particular rumor. She said the company continues to fund claims in accordance with their contract just like they have in the past.
“Not only could we not do that legally or contractually – we would never do something like that ethically,” she said “We’ve administered this contract since 1996 – were huge supporters of military and military families and support.”
While their contract with the military ends April 30 of next year, she said, they plan to keep military claims staff on hand for a full extra year to support any claims that come in late.
She said that anyone who has questions can feel free to contact them via their Facebook page, or by calling their help line at 800/866-8499.
Has anyone else been hearing this rumor? It was news to us, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t having problems …
