Payment Options And Health Funds
Payment Plans
Sometimes an unexpected dental treatment can come at precisely the wrong time. It’s the unwanted expense that comes with dental treatments that causes stress for many people. But this shouldn’t mean that you have to choose between your oral health and your finances.
At our dental practice in Woden, we want to make first-class dental care accessible to everyone. This is why we offer weekly or fortnightly payment plans. In an attempt to help our patients, we have partnered with HUMM. This is a flexible, no interest payment plan option that allows you to receive your dental treatment, and then pay it off over an agreed timeframe.
Pensioners and students receive up to 15% discounts.
Bulk Billing does apply to registered Veterans Affairs. We also offer Bulk Billing for routine dental treatments to children 12 years of age and under.
Medicare Child Dental Benefit Scheme
The scheme
As a parent, making sure your child is as healthy as possible is understandably one of your highest priorities.
The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) has been introduced by the federal government to make that task a little easier if you receive benefits such as Family Tax Benefit A payments. The CDBS helps you keep your kids’ teeth in great shape by providing you with up to $1000 that you can use over a two calendar year period on a range of dental services including examinations, routine cleaning, fillings, and root canals.
What the CDBS doesn’t cover, however, are orthodontic (the straightening of crooked teeth), cosmetic dental procedures (the restoration or replacement of damaged or missing teeth), or any work that might need to be done in a hospital. If you aren’t sure what’s covered, just ask your dentist.
Your child’s eligibility
Your child is deemed eligible for the CDBS by Medicare, who administers the program, if:
- They’re within the applicable age range for at least some of that year
- They qualify for Medicare;
- You receive either Family Tax Benefit Part A, Parenting payment or Double Orphan Pension payments for at least some of that year.
Your child can still access CDBS services throughout a particular calendar year regardless even if your circumstances change. Even so, it’s still worth confirming with Medicare that your child still qualifies for CDBS before booking an appointment.
Using your $1000 allocation
To ensure that you’re aware of the costs upfront, your dentist will explain all probable expenses and get your consent in writing before treatment begins. If there’s any additional work needed following the initial examination, the costs will again be outlined and your consent obtained. This means you can then decide how quickly or slowly you use your $1000 allocation; you can use it all at once if you need to, or spread the spending out over the two calendar years.
If you’re not sure how much of your allocation you have left to use, your dentist can look that up for you, and let you know if you’ll be up for any out-of-pocket expenses.
Low-Interest Financing
We will be announcing a new partnership with a preferred lender of low-interest financing. This will allow patients to borrow the funds to cover the of their treatment at a very low rate of interest. Details to follow soon.
Health Funds
We accept all health funds. And we are a preferred provider for Medibank Private, HCF and Cbhs.
Smile.com.au
Acacia Dental is an approved dentist at Smile.com.au. You can join Smile.com.au for under $100 per year and receive a reduction of 15% to 40% on your dental fees. Every treatment is covered, each time you visit us. Smile.com.au dental cover is not health insurance, there’s no limits, no exclusions, no waiting, no claiming, no confusion. The dental cover gives you all the features you need.
Smile.com.au is also partnered with the following health funds; Medibank, HCF, BUPA, NIB, Teachers Health Fund, Defence Health, GMHBA, Australian Unity,One Medi Fund, People Care, Frank Health Insurance, Budget Direct, Health.com.au, Healthcare Insurance, Navy Health, West Fund, GU Health, HIF, RT Health GMF, Phoenix Health.
For which additional price reductions are available depending on which fund you are part of. With Smile.com.au you get reduced fees and can then claim any out-of-pocket cost with your health fund.
Other options include:
- GEM Visa which offers 6 months interest free on dental treatment
- MacCredit which works specifically with medical and dental treatments, and is a great choice for large procedures, offering financing up to $70,000
If you would like to learn more about any of these options, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at our dental practice in Woden on
(02) 6281 2222, and one of our friendly staff will be happy to help!
Can I make an on-the-spot claim with my health fund?
Absolutely. For our patients’ convenience, Acacia Dental has a HICAPS terminal for on-the-spot claims under $10,000. This allows you to draw from your private health fund immediately, so that you only pay the “gap” costs out of pocket.
*Please note, our terminal can only process claims under $10,000. For claims above that amount, the invoice must be paid in full, and receipts taken to the health fund to claim the rebate.
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