Let’s talk about a tax no one voted for.

It’s not federal.
It’s not state.
It’s not even on your P&L.

It’s called the “Wait and See” Tax.

And dental practices across America pay it every single day.

What Is the “Wait and See” Tax?

It’s the invisible fee you pay every month you delay negotiating your PPO contracts.

You tell yourself:

“We’ll revisit it next quarter.”

“Let’s get through this busy season first.”

“I just don’t have time right now.”

Meanwhile, inflation doesn’t wait.
Lab bills don’t wait.
Payroll definitely doesn’t wait.

But your fee schedules?
They sit there, frozen in time, like they’re still living in 2012.

And the insurance companies? They are perfectly fine with that.

They are not going to call and say:

“Hey Doc, we noticed your rent, wages, supplies, and utilities went up. Would you like us to voluntarily increase your reimbursements?”

Of course not.

Silence is profitable for them.

Delay is expensive for you.

The Math No One Likes to Do

If your practice collects $1.5 million annually and 60% is PPO…

That’s $900,000 subject to contracted rates.

If you’re underpaid by just 15%?

That’s $135,000 per year.

Not theoretical.
Not dramatic.
Real money.

Now stretch that over 3 years of “waiting for the right time.”

That’s over $400,000 quietly transferred from your practice to theirs.

You didn’t lose patients.
You didn’t work fewer days.
You didn’t suddenly get worse clinically.

You just waited.

And waiting has a price.

The Insurance Companies’ Favorite Strategy

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Insurance carriers don’t need to pressure you.
They don’t need to threaten you.
They don’t even need to say no.

They just need you to procrastinate.

Because every month you don’t ask…
Every year you don’t renegotiate…
Every contract you don’t analyze…

They keep the spread.

And they are very patient.

The 7-Step Alternative

At Veritas Dental Resources, we’ve built a 7-step negotiation framework that typically increases PPO reimbursements between 10% and 35%.

Not by yelling.
Not by threatening termination letters blindly.
Not by burning bridges.

But by understanding:

• Umbrella network stacking

• Market leverage

• Carrier timing cycles

• Data positioning

• Strategic sequencing

In other words, we stop playing defense.

Because here’s the truth most practices miss:

Increasing reimbursements doesn’t require working harder.

It requires working smarter.

When reimbursements go up, that revenue drops almost entirely to your bottom line. You didn’t add ops. You didn’t buy cheaper gloves. You didn’t squeeze more out of your team.

You simply stopped subsidizing someone else’s margin.

The Real Cost

The “Wait and See” Tax isn’t just financial.

It shows up as:

• Team burnout from fighting low-paying claims

• Hesitation to diagnose confidently

• Pressure to “make it up in volume”

• Frustration that your skills aren’t valued

And over time, that erodes culture.

You didn’t go to dental school to negotiate against yourself.

You went to deliver quality care.

A Hard Question

If nothing changes, and you keep your current fee schedules for the next 24 months…

How much will that cost you?

More importantly:

Why are you willing to keep paying it?

Insurance companies are not confused about their margins.

Why should you be?

It’s time to stop the voluntary donations.

It’s time to get paid what your clinical training, overhead, and leadership are actually worth.

How much longer are you willing to pay the “Wait and See” tax?

Drop a comment or send a DM if you’re ready to cancel that subscription.

Benjamin Tuinei
Founder – Veritas Dental Resources, LLC
888-808-4513
Services: PPO Fee Negotiators, PPO Fee Negotiating, Insurance Fee Negotiating, Insurance Credentialing, Insurance Verifications
Websites: www.VeritasDentalResources.com, www.VerusDental.com