Insurance and billing
Annual maximum
Also called yearly maximum, plan maximum
The most a dental plan will pay toward a patient's care in one plan year.
The annual maximum is the highest amount a dental plan will pay for a person in a benefit year. Once the plan has paid that much, the patient pays the full cost of further care until the plan renews. Many plans have this limit, and it is often lower than people expect. When planning treatment, check how much of the maximum remains and consider splitting work across plan years.
Example at the front desk
She has about two hundred dollars left on her annual maximum, so we'll plan the crown after the new year.