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My dentist says I owe them money because my Metlife dental insurance is refusing to pay. Is this right? HELP?

Last year in May of 2010, I was given an estimate for my Invisalign which stated that my Insurance Metlife Dental would pay $2000 and all I had to pay was $1000 out of pocket. So I agreed and got the Invisalign. Metlife approved it but did not pay the full amount, instead they started making monthly payments. In January 2011 we changed dental insurance to a different company and now Metlife has decided to stop making payments on this expense. Therefore, the dentist is saying I have to pay for it. I dont think this is right. If someone agrees to make a payment on a debt, you cant just not pay it anymore just because the customer decided to go to a different company. And I really think that the dentist should hold the insurance responsible for this debt, not me. Afterall, they did give me a price of what I was going to pay which I paid. I even had them call the insurance directly and get approved just to make sure that I wouldnt end up paying more. I have heard lots of horrible stories about Metlife and their customer service. I do not know what to do? What should I do and how can I fight this?

Public Comments

1. Ya its one of many scams insurance companys do .... sad thing about it is the dentist can and most likely will turn you over to collections .... see if you can work out a reduced payoff with the dentist and pay the bill to protect yourself then file suit against the insurance
2. The buck stops with you, not the dentist. You are the one that has the legal affiliation with the insurance company and not the dentist. If you read the fine print on all insurance forms, there will be a line that says YOU are ultimately responsible for any amounts not paid for by the insurance company. The only exception is if the dental office is a participating one and has agreed to accept whatever payment the insurance pays. The financial obligation for any dental service is between you and the dentist only, not the dentist and the insurance company. There is nothing that you can do to fight it and you are legally responsible for any unpaid balance.