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What is Dental Financial Assistance?
The DFA program provides financial assistance to qualified patients who are having difficulty paying their Kaiser Permanente dental bills.
Note: The dental financial assistance program only pays for services at facility-owned or operated by Kaiser Permanente in the Northwest region. It will not pay for dental services provided outside our service area or from non-Kaiser Permanente facilities. DFA is not dental insurance.
DFA eligibility and guidelines
Think you might be eligible?
The level of financial assistance is based on a patient whose yearly household income is less than or equal to 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines ("FPG"). (Assets are not considered income.)
A patient who meets eligibility requirements will get a sliding scale discount on their costs for eligible Kaiser Permanente dental services. The DFA discount is based on where the patient’s household income falls within the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
Want to learn if you’re eligible? Use our eligibility calculator below.
Want to apply for dental financial assistance?
You may apply using a paper application and submit it by mail, fax, or drop-off. Once a completed application is received, you’ll hear back from us within 30 days. If it is not approved, we’ll provide a reason for a denial.
If you are approved, we’ll send you a full explanation of your award. The award is applied to your out-of-pocket cost for co-payments and deductibles in a calendar year.
Learn more about DFA
For more information about Dental Financial Assistance, read our frequently asked questions.
Services covered under the DFA program
DFA may be applied to certain necessary dental services provided at Kaiser Permanente Northwest facilities by Kaiser Permanente dental clinicians.
Note: Assistance for covering the cost of emergent and medically necessary hospital and non-hospital services, prescriptions (including dental prescriptions written by Kaiser Permanente clinicians) and pharmacy supplies are covered under Kaiser Permanente's Medical Financial Assistance (MFA) program.
Ready to apply?
- View and download DFA Application (PDF)
- For materials in other languages, go to dental financial assistance documents.
- You can also pick up an application at your nearest Kaiser Permanente dental facility.
Submit your completed application by any of the methods below:
Fax
1-877-829-3547
Kaiser Permanente DFA Program
500 NW Multnomah Street
Portland, OR 97232-9807
Attn: Financial Counseling Department
Drop off
Submit a completed application with check-in staff at any Kaiser Permanente location. Ask the staff to send your application to Financial Counseling.
For general questions concerning your DFA application and eligibility, counselors are available by telephone, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6 p.m., Pacific time.
Portland area: 503-813-2000
All other areas: 1-800-813-2000
TTY: 1-800-735-2900 or 711
Program materials
Information about the DFA program, including policy copies, application forms, instructions, and policy summaries, is available for free below. Patients can apply for DFA prior to or up to 12 months after their care.
Program materials
Program material in other languages:
Dental financial assistance documentsFor language assistance, interpreters are available to you at no cost. The application, policy, and policy summary may be available in your language. For more information, call 1-800-324-8010 or (TTY 711 ).
Accessible alternative formats include large print, Braille, and audio.
Helpful resources
The MFA program provides financial assistance to qualified patients who are having difficulty paying for their Kaiser Permanente medical care or pharmacy prescriptions.
Community Health Coverage Program (CHCP)
Kaiser Permanente’s Community Health Coverage Program provides coverage and subsidies to qualified applicants that help pay for monthly premiums and most out-of-pocket costs at Kaiser Permanente facilities.
Kaiser Permanente Community Support Hub
If you need help with essentials like food, housing, or paying for internet or other utilities, visit kp.org/socialhealth. Or call the Kaiser Permanente Community Support Hub™ at 1‑800‑443‑6328 (TTY 711), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Community health needs assessment (CHNA) is a process for determining the needs in a particular community or population through systematic, comprehensive data collection and analysis, and leveraging results to spur community change.
Online bill pay
With a kp.org account, you can view your dental bills and make payments online.
Guest pay
You may also use guest pay to make one-time medical bill payments on behalf of another member.
Payment plans
From your Billing Summary, review each of your dental bills and then select Set up a payment plan to begin making automatic monthly payments toward the balance.
Health Savings Accounts (HSA) & Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA)
An HSA is savings account that can be used to pay for dental expenses while an HRA is an employer-funded health plan that offers tax-free reimbursements for qualified medical expenses.