Archive for Month: September 2018

Finding a good health insurance plan is essential in keeping up with one’s physical health. It keeps the cost to the patient at a somewhat affordable level and may even help find a better group of doctors who provide amazing care. The same can be said for dental care. Finding good dental insurance is critical to keeping teeth healthy. As such, it is good to know some of the dental insurance policies available.

Golden Rule Insurance Company, a UnitedHealthcare Company

These robust dental policies focus on preventive, major, and emergency dental procedures. Preventive care such as cleanings, x-rays and Exams are covered without a waiting period or a deductible.

The plans cover basic dental services as well as major procedures like a root canal, but this depends on the plans deductible and waiting periods. The PPO offers more than 400,000 dentists, and no claim forms are needed since in-network dentists get direct payment.

There are some age restrictions on dental insurance. Some plans are for age 64 and above, while other plans are for under age 65. Many different plans are offered with many different benefits. Each plan can be customized to best fit the person purchasing it.

Humana

Humana is another insurance company that provides individual and family dental health insurance. Humana has a significant amount of dental insurance plans, all of which are affected by many factors. For example, age, gender, and dental needs can all affect the type of plan that is best for a certain individual.

Humana has plans that differ in benefits. Some plans have a higher premium, monthly payment, than others. Differing plans also have differing co-pays and deductibles, both of which are paid by the patient. Certain plans provide discounts, so the patient would pay the dentist directly at a discounted price. Again, Humana does not have an age limit.

Ameritas

Ameritas is another company that offers dental insurance. Ameritas has no age restrictions for its dental policies, and Ameritas allows next day effective dates to begin coverage.

Ameritas has no co-pays for preventive dental care, and these preventive care benefits are more expansive when using an in-network dentist. The network includes over 382,000 dentists, which reduces the amount of paperwork. Ameritas has a resourceful customer support team that is always available to answer questions and resolve problems.

Ameritas offers plans for individuals beginning as low as $19 a month for the most basic coverage in some states. The most expensive monthly individual plan is $35 a month, and it covers preventive care, restorative care, and orthodontic work. Plan premiums begin to change as more people are added, but Ameritas provides a wide enough variety that everyone should be able to find coverage.

Also see GPM Dental which uses Ameritas PPO Network.

Aetna

Aetna is an insurance company that offers real insurance but like to market its dental discount plans. While not the same as insurance, the discount card will provide a some decrease in the cost of dental procedures for in-network dentists. For an individual, the cheapest discount plan is $7.99 per month, and, for a family, the cheapest discount plan is $10.99. For both, the initial cost is $15. We do not recommend these plans as they are not real insurance….

The discount has a network of dentists achieving more than 200,000 dentists across the United States. Most procedures will see a 15-50% discount through any of the available dental discount plans. Dental specialists accept the discount plans too. Some of the available discount plans offer discounts for vision and hearing care as well as dental care.

The dental discount plans are not as flexible as plans from Ameritas or United Healthcare, but they are still useful. The discounts may be enough for someone who cannot afford full-coverage or for someone who does not want to pay for full-coverage.

The Government

When using the Health Insurance Marketplace, it is possible to purchase dental insurance through the government. To get a dental plan through the Marketplace, a person must be purchasing a health plan as well. Some of the plans in the Marketplace come with dental insurance, which will be shown when comparing the plans. The coverage has low limits and it needs to be purchased with an SEP or during Open Enrollment…..it is not a very good product, certainly not the best dental insurance….

Sometimes, there are dental plans available that are stand-alone. They are not a part of health insurance plans, but they must still be bought at the same time as health insurance is bought. This also means that there will be two monthly premiums that must be paid. Some plans offer high deductibles and low premiums, while others offer low deductibles and high premiums.Dental insurance is considered a necessary benefit for children. Children must be offered dental insurance, whether it is through a stand-alone plan or mixed with a health plan. For adults, dental insurance is not considered necessary. Insurers are not required to provide or even offer a dental insurance plan to adults.

Conclusion

Insurance can seem like a complicated beast, but all it takes is some time to understand it. Finding the right plan for a family or individual can save more money in the end since waiting for a dental disaster can be expensive.