Are You Getting the Facts Before You Buy Dental Insurance?
When shopping for dental insurance online or through an agent, know all the facts about each type of dental plan before buying one. Mistakes happen when you need clarification on how a dental plan works. Purchasing dental insurance online is easy and convenient, but people need to read and understand what they buy. Before hitting the submit button, ensure you understand the plan’s terms.
Does the dental plan have waiting periods or yearly max dollar amount limitations? Is the dental insurance plan an in-network dental provider only, or can you go outside the network of dental providers? When is the insurance plan effective? Did you call the dentist to confirm they still accept the dental insurance plan? Is what you are reviewing a dental insurance plan or a dental discount plan? What are your dental needs, and are you getting a dental insurance plan that best fits them?
Taking the extra time to fully understand the dental plan you are buying will save you from headaches and being upset later on.
I do not have current dental insurance and very little money. My dentist told me I needed dental work on my teeth, so I started looking for dental insurance. Right now, insurance seems too costly for me, but some friends tell me to avoid dental discount plans because they are not insurance. Is this true?
Reply: That is correct. Dental discount plans are not insurance. Dental discount plans help you save money on your dental care cost as long as you go to a dentist who is a provider of the plan. Discount plans are an excellent way to help make dental care more affordable at a low cost. If you want dental insurance, consider reviewing dental HMO plans. Dental HMO plans are the more affordable dental insurance option.
What Dental PPO and Indemnity plans have to offer. Dental PPOs and Indemnity plans allow you to choose your dentist, and for many people, that can be a deciding factor in buying those types of dental insurance plans. For people who want to stay with their current dentist or to be able to choose their dental provider, these types of insurance plans are for that. Dental PPO and Indemnity plans are usually more costly than HMO’s dental insurance plans. Are dental PPOs and Indemnity insurance plans worth the cost? The answer is yes. If you know your dental needs and understand the terms and conditions of the insurance plan, many people are happy with their PPO plans. Trouble comes when you fully understand dental insurance plan’s limitations.
I need to understand how dental insurance works. I have a dental insurance PPO plan through my job, but it could be better. I am considering removing it and getting just the medical. Why have insurance if you have to pay the dentist?
Reply: Medical insurance has a cost paid out by the insured, too. Dental insurance is designed to make dental care more affordable, not necessarily free. You may not think dental care without insurance is so bad, but to give you an example of how even in preventive care, dental insurance is worth the cost. Say all you need is preventative care.
Without insurance, preventive care costs (Office visits, Bite-wing X-rays, Oral Exam, and Basic Cleaning) can range around $200 – $400, keeping in mind most low-cost HMOs plan range from $8.00 to $20.00 a month with preventive care typical being free. More extensive dental care services become expensive when you don’t have dental insurance.
While many seniors citizens are keeping their natural teeth longer they may have more complex dental care need to consider than previous generations. Due to increasing age comes the likelihood that more medications are being taken to chronic disease such as diabetes. Due to that it is important for the elderly to inform their dental professionals of any changes or updates in their medical history to ensure safe and effective dental care treatment.
I know many may not think of buying a dental insurance plan as a Christmas gift, but it really can be one the best gifts given to someone that truly keeps given. If you know someone that would like to go to the dentist but can not afford too, because they do not have dental insurance, think about buying an HMO dental insurance plan. These plans are normally really low in cost ranging $7.95 – $20.00 a month for an individual or annually around 80.00 – $220.00.
Another option is a dental discount plan that can cost around 7.95 – 9.95 a month and about $95.00 annually. Both of these plans type whether insurance or a discount plan can make having dental care services much more affordable to the person that would like to have dental care but not afford it. Think about this as an option talk to the person and see if that is something that they would want and use if you got this for them.
Dental HMO insurance plans are normally the lower cost dental insurance option with few limitation and restrictions. However it is important to understand it is also an insurance plans where you need choose a dentist in the plan network of providers. There are no outside dental provider benefits. You can not change to a different provider without making the change though the insurance company first.
Since you are choosing a plan dentist in an HMO dental insurance plan, make sure to call the dental providers up and confirm that they are still providers of the plan and accepting new plan members. In addition ask any questions that are important to you in choosing a provider before buying the plan. That way you can feel more comfortable with your choice of provider and buying the dental HMO insurance plan.
Tip: Make sure when buying any HMO dental insurance plan that they have more then just one dental provider in the miles you are willing to travel. The more plan providers the better. This affords you more options in case you do what to change dental providers under the plan or if the current provider ever decides to stop accepting the plan you have other dental provider options left to you.