Orthodontic Insurance Plans Accepted

McComb Orthodontics is in-network with all major PPO dental insurance providers, including Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna PPO, Delta Dental, GEHA, Guardian, Humana, Lincoln Financial, MetLife, Mutual of Omaha, Principal, SunLife Financials PPO, UMR, United Concordia, United Health Care, and UNUM. The full carrier list with office-by-office availability is on this page. Call (310) 299-8894 to verify your specific plan.

It depends on your plan. Not all dental insurance plans include an orthodontic rider. Approximately half of patients who arrive with dental insurance do not have orthodontic coverage on that plan. For patients with Delta Dental or MetLife, McComb Orthodontics has contracted rates specifically for Invisalign, which means you pay approximately $700 less than out-of-network pricing. Kevin verifies this before your consultation.

Orthodontic insurance pays in quarterly installments, not as a lump sum. Because treatment involves multiple visits over many months, insurance companies pay in intervals rather than covering the full benefit upfront. This means you must maintain your insurance coverage for the full duration of treatment. If coverage lapses mid-treatment, the quarterly payments stop. The benefit that was already paid is not reclaimed, but future installments will not arrive.

Not necessarily. Orthodontic insurance gives you two numbers: a lifetime maximum (a flat dollar amount) and a percentage. The benefit you receive is always the lesser of the two. If your plan says "$1,500, up to 50%" and treatment costs $5,500, the benefit is $1,500, not $2,750 — because the flat maximum is the lower figure. Kevin explains this at every consultation because it is the most common insurance misunderstanding.

Some HMO plans are accepted at the Culver City office only: Aetna HMO, Cigna HMO, DeltaCare HMO, and TriCare. None of these are accepted at the West Hollywood office. HMO plans also generally require a referral from your general dentist before you can see an orthodontic specialist. Some general dentists decline to issue referrals because they offer orthodontic services themselves. Call (310) 299-8894 to confirm your HMO plan before booking.

McComb Orthodontics does not accept Medi-Cal as in-network insurance because the reimbursement rate is too low to be viable. However, the practice offers a significant medical discount to patients with Medi-Cal and to patients without any insurance who demonstrate financial need. The discount amount is determined at the consultation. Patients with Medi-Cal are encouraged to come in for the free consultation to understand what the out-of-pocket cost would be with the discount applied.

You must maintain your insurance coverage for the full duration of orthodontic treatment for the benefit to pay in full. If coverage lapses or is cancelled mid-treatment, insurance will stop making quarterly payments from that point forward. The treatment itself continues, and your clinical plan does not change — but the remaining insurance benefit will not be received. Kevin discusses this at the consultation for any patient with coverage that may change during treatment.

If you submitted your insurance information on the new patient form before the appointment, you do not need to bring the card. If you have not provided your insurance details in advance, bring your card so Kevin can verify your coverage, check your lifetime benefit, and confirm your contracted rate before the treatment cost conversation begins.

Yes. If you are mid-treatment and have not yet applied your insurance benefit, McComb Orthodontics can submit a claim. The benefit will be applied to the remaining balance and pay quarterly from the point of submission. The same rule applies: you must maintain continuous coverage from the submission date through the end of treatment. Call (310) 299-8894 and Kevin will walk through the timing and paperwork.

Yes. The standard process is: insurance benefit is verified and applied to the total treatment cost at the consultation, and the remaining balance is financed in-house at 0% interest with no credit check and no third-party lender. Insurance and in-house financing work together, not as either/or options.