Hi Dave,

Dealing with insurance companies is one of the most difficult and frustrating tasks that I know of. I have a full time employee that handles insurance and she spends most of her time dealing with this problem. Insurance companies are in the business of making money, not spending it (on paying claims, that is). They spend their money on the top dogs and on their monumental buildings. Have you ever seen a shabby insurance company building? I guess you can see how I feel about them.

Even though a claim is denied, it doesn't mean it won't eventually be paid. The first step is to try to talk to a supervisor. Most service reps that get your phone calls are very good at stonewalling you, but persistence will pay off most of the time. Another thing you need to do if coverage is denied, is to get the exact wording from the policy that they are using to deny the claim. Get it in writing. At this point, you may find that there is no chance if the wording is specific. Most of the time it will be vague and then it is worth persuing the problem further.

Check out this link on this website for some good background information about the relationship of radiation, salivary glands and decay: http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/dental/dental-complications.htm

Len has some very good advice in his email and perhaps if you get to the stage of collecting supportive letters from dentists, etc. you might be able to get copies of his.

Good luck and let me know if there is anything I can do.

Jerry