A March 25 letter to dentists from insurance firm Excellus has prompted questions about the implications of opting out of Medicare. The ADA Council on Dental Benefit Programs is reminding dentists that they forfeit all Medicare Advantage reimbursement for themselves and their Medicare Advantage member patients if they opt out of Medicare, though there are exceptions for urgent or emergency care, ADA News reports. Dentists can check and determine when they are eligible to change their status at the CMS Website
Those who have newly opted out may change their status no later than 90 days after filing the affidavit. Opt-out affidavits renew automatically every two years if signed on or after June 16, 2015, but the renewal may be canceled.