Beware Blue Cross Blue Shield Members!



I've been attending North Park Family Dental in Grand Rapids, MI for more than a decade. They have always been very friendly and offered exceptional service. However, since fall 2013, my experience became very unpleasant.



As a Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) member, I have always paid the "allowed amount charged" for a particular service without dispute in the past. Michigan law puts a cap on how much they can charge for a particular service, but North Park Family Dental didn't care, and always charges more.Recently, I've had to set aside time in my day on three different occasions to have a BCBS representative call North Park Family Dental to inform their staff on billing practices.



In addition, the staff tended to practice very condescending correspondence, suggesting that I was "in the wrong" for not paying the difference between the 'charged amount' and the 'allowed amount'. After North Park Family Dentistry filled the gap in their understanding and waived my balance, I received no apology. That was three counts of unacceptable service.



The last straw was when I received a letter dated October 15, 2013 addressed to all their patients with BCBS stating that North Park Family Dental would bill me at the time of service. That is, I would have to pay the amount they wanted upfront, and get reimbursed by BCBS later. However, BCBS is only going to reimburse the "allowed amount" and not the amount I am actually paying. To summarize my thoughts on this bold strategy to side-step Michigan law: I am not interested in losing money when I can obtain the same or better quality of care elsewhere. BCBS feels the same way, and had encouraged me to terminate my relationship with North Park Family Dentistry... so I did.