As a Blue Dental member, you have access to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s network of dentists who provide lower costs for the dental services you receive.
It's important to understand your dental plan and what coverage you have as it may impact which dentists you can see and your costs when using them.
When you have a Blue Dental PPO plan, you get coverage from three networks of dental professionals:
PPO in-network dentists are contracted to fully accept Blue Dental coverage. You can see dental providers in this network knowing your costs are the lowest.
When you see a Blue Par Select dentist, these dentists aren't in network, but agree to participate with us. That means they submit a claim on your behalf to Blue Cross and accept our approved amount, saving you money.
Out-of-network dentists do not participate in any arrangement with Blue Cross. You may still see an out-of-network dentist, but you may have to submit your own claim for reimbursement. Since out-of-network dentists do not have contracts with Blue Cross, you'll have higher out-of-pockets costs.
Here’s how they compare. We’ll use the estimated cost of a filling based on prices in Southeast Michigan and a member who has a Blue Dental plan that covers fillings at 50%.
| Filling cost comparison | |||
Dentist’s fee is $185 |
PPO in network |
Blue Par Select |
Out of network |
Your cost |
$61 |
$88.50 |
$96.50 |
If you have an EPO plan, it only covers care you get from PPO in-network dentists. There's no coverage when you see Blue Par Select or out-of-network dentists.
Although every dentist will accept Blue Dental PPO plans, your coverage may vary based on their network participation with PPO in-network dentists providing the most savings, Blue Par Select dentist providing some savings and out-of-network dentist providing the least savings for you as a member.
If you have a dentist you like who's not a PPO in-network dentist or there aren't many in-network dentists near you, a PPO plan may be better for you. If you are looking to maximize your savings and are comfortable using only in-network dentists, an EPO plan may be best for you.