The Kids’ Dental Office of Phoenix happily accepts payments through AHCCCS and AZ Complete Health, a form of health insurance covering families receiving AHCCCS support.
Here, we describe how AZ Complete Health works within AHCCCS, the services an AHCCCS dentist provides, and how this arrangement might benefit your children.
Call us at (602) 903-4894 or click below to schedule an appointment!
What is AHCCCS?
The federal government does not administer Medicaid programs directly. Instead, it provides funding and guidance for states like Arizona to create their own healthcare programs for low-income residents. AHCCCS is the program that Arizona has created to provide Medicaid-supported health services to people who qualify.
AHCCCS provides health insurance coverage to low-income individuals and families by partnering with health insurance providers to deliver covered services to AHCCCS patients.
What is AZ Complete Health?
When you participate in AHCCCS, you can choose the insurance company that will provide your health and dental coverage. If you do not choose, AHCCCS will assign you an insurer.
AZ Complete Health is a managed care private company that offers, through the AZ Complete Care Plan, health services to its members including primary care, specialty care, dental care, and behavioral health services. AZ Complete Health is one of multiple healthcare insurers that AHCCCS contracts with.
What Dental Services Does AZ Complete Health Offer?
Services that fall under AZ Complete Health must meet two requirements:
- The service must have been previously approved to be covered.
- The service must be medically necessary
A medically necessary service is one that a physician or other licensed healthcare practitioner uses to prevent diseases, disabilities, and other adverse conditions or to prolong life.
Once you have a dentist who will be your “Dental Home” under AHCCCS, you must receive dental services from a provider within the Arizona Complete Health-Complete Care Plan network. If you visit a dentist outside the Complete Care Plan network, services may not be covered, and you may have to pay out of pocket for them.
AZ Complete Health Dental Coverage for Children Under 21 Years Old
AZ Complete Health will assign your child a “Dental Home” if your child is covered. AZ Complete Health covers all dental health checkups, cleanings, and treatments for children under the age of 21 for free, including two routine preventive dental visits.
Under this plan, patients do not need a referral to see a dentist. AZ Complete Health will remind you to schedule routine dental checkups.
Here are a few of the pediatric dental services that AZ Complete Health covers:
- Dental examinations and teeth cleanings
- Cavity fillings and fluoride treatments
- X-rays
- Emergency dentist services
AZ Complete Health Coverage for Adults
Although it is outside our focus on pediatric dentistry, adults 21 and older have some coverage for dental services.
AHCCCS does not cover routine dental services for AZ Complete Health members 21 years of age or older, but adults can receive emergency dental services or transplants.
Some adult Complete Care Plan dental services include:
- Relief for severe dental pain or infection, including oral surgery, anesthesia, pain medications, and antibiotics.
- Pre-transplant services, tooth extractions, and radiation treatments for oral, neck, and other cancers involving the head.
- X-rays, care of fractures of the jaw or mouth, and giving anesthesia, pain medication, and/or antibiotics.
- Dental cleanings for hospital inpatients who are either on a ventilator or otherwise cannot do their own oral hygiene.
- Coverage for the costs of emergency dental services, up to $1000 per individual per year. Services for cancer treatments, transplants, and inpatient hospital hygiene treatment, and some American Indians and Alaska Natives who receive dental care are not subject to this cap.
Talk to a Phoenix Pediatric Dentist About AZ Complete Health
At the Kids’ Dental Office of Phoenix, our team of pediatric dentists and orthodontists accepts many dental insurance plans, including AHCCCS and the AZ Complete Health Complete Care Plan.
We will file claims on your behalf, saving you time and hassle. Our knowledgeable benefit coordinators can also help you maximize your dental benefits and minimize your out-of-pocket costs. We will tell you upfront what your insurance plan will pay for and offer options for paying any remaining balance.
If you have any questions about pediatric dentistry in the Phoenix area or need to make an appointment for routine child dental needs or emergency dental care, call us at (602) 903-4894. You can also send us a message online, and one of our pediatric dentists will respond as soon as possible.
Remember, lifetime health has roots in childhood health, and good oral health is one of the cornerstones for overall lifetime good health. With AHCCCS and the Arizona Complete Health Complete Care Plan, there is no reason any child in Phoenix or anywhere else in Arizona should not have access to the best dentist available, regardless of family income.
