What To Look For In Dental Insurance Plans

Dental Deductible Copay And Coinsurance Explained

How Do Dental Plans Work | :DentalPlans

Here are the basic costs associated with most dental plans. Youll want to make sure you understand them when choosing a plan:

A dental deductible is a set dollar amount you are required to pay before your dental plan starts to help pay. You will pay your dentist for any non-preventive dental care until you meet this plan deductible. Preventive dental care is covered 100% by most dental plans, so the deductible doesnt apply to these plans.
Dental copays are fees you may have to pay when you visit a dentist. Usually you pay the copay at the time of the visit. It may count toward meeting your deductible.
Coinsurance is the term used to describe how you and your dental plan share costs, once you meet your deductible. In your dental plan details, coinsurance is often shown as a percentage of what you will pay vs. what your plan will pay. For example, a coinsurance of 80%/20% means the plan pays 80% of the costs and you pay 20%.

What Is Dental Insurance For Implants

While many dental insurance providers won’t offer coverage for dental implants, some can reduce your out-of-pocket costs. It depends on the specifics of your procedure, provider, coverage details, and plan limits. You can start the process by learning more about your procedure.

There are two types of dental implants:

Endosteal: placed in your jawbone, as an artificial root
Subperiosteal: placed under the gum, but over the jawbone

If your insurance company wont cover these, ask for the allowance you may have used for a bridge or dentures. You may also qualify for financing or a payment plan.

What Dental Insurance Costs And Where To Get A Quote

Depending on your age, plan level, and where you live, expect to pay from $300 to $600 per year for an individual DPPO plan, and 2x-3x that for a family plan. A DHMO will cost less, and a group rate plan purchased through work or an association will likely also cost less.

If you cant get coverage at work or you missed the enrollment period you can try your state health insurance exchange, where you might also qualify for a subsidy to lower your premium, depending on your income. Otherwise many insurance companies, including Guardian, let you purchase directly from their website.

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Be On The Lookout For Charity Events

There are many dental charities nationwide who provide free dental care to those in need. Some well-known charities and resources include:

Mission of Mercy: This nonprofit sets up portable dental stations in public areas to provide dental screenings and services at no charge to those who attend. Check out the Oregon Misson of Mercy to find free dental care near you.
Dentistry From the Heart: This organization involves dentists volunteering their time to provide free dental services for adults and children for an entire day.

Tip #: Think About How Much Dental Care You And Your Family Need

What employers should look for in a dental plan

Insurance companies will offer different plan levels but dont assume that the lowest cost plan is the best value. Look at what is covered, like fluoride treatments, orthodontists, implants, etc.

If you think you might need a crown or root canal, a higher-level plan is certainly worth considering. And if you have children who need orthodontic work , that could well be the plan that costs the least in the long run.

Analyze Your Family Dynamics

Do you have young children? Do you plan to become pregnant in the next few years? The specific dynamics of your family will play a huge role in determining the dental plan that is best suited for you. Young children often need additional services such as fluoride treatments and frequent professional cleanings. Adolescents or young adults might eventually need braces or similar procedures. Your own dental needs may change during pregnancy. These are all important factors to consider when choosing a dental plan.

Deciding What Coverage You Need

1Figure out the best deductible for you. “Deductible” is probably a word you’ve heard thrown around a lot when it comes to insurance. A deductible is just an amount you must pay yourself before your insurance kicks in. If your deductible is $500, that means you must pay the dentist $500 in dental work before your insurance starts to pay anything. Deductibles reset each year, and some plans won’t have a deductible.XResearch source

If your teeth are relatively healthy, you may not even meet a $500 deductible in a year if you only get a single cleaning and x-rays done.

Some plans have exceptions for maintenance work, meaning they will pay for basic dental work , but you must meet the deductible if you have anything extensive done.

For deductibles, you have to guess how much work you’ll get done. If you need a lot of work done, a plan with a low deductible is better, as you won’t be paying as much out-of-pocket. Keep in mind that lower deductibles mean you’ll pay more per month for insurance.

2Choose between PPO and DHMO. That may just sound like a bunch of letters. DHMO stands for dental health maintenance organization, while PPO stands for preferred provider organization. You’re probably still confused, so take a moment to look more closely at how their names relate to their coverage.XResearch source

Usually the cap doesn’t include the maintenance work. So, if you’ve had two cleanings, plus $2,400 worth of dental work, only the $2,400 will count towards your cap.

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Narrowing Down Your Choices

1Check out the premium. Of course, cost is going to be a factor, and the premium is the only thing you’ll pay consistently, which means you can stick it in your budget. A premium is the amount you pay each month to have insurance. Dental plans tend to be much cheaper than health insurance, usually under $50 a month. In theory, the higher the premium, the more coverage you get. However, that’s not always the case, as premiums can vary widely by company.

When comparing, make sure to compare benefits while also considering the cost of the premium. You’re trying to get the highest coverage for the lowest premium. Think of it like a blanket. If two blankets cost $25 and $26 each and one covers your feet while the other doesn’t, you’re going to pick the one that also covers your feet, all else being equal. Dental insurance is the same way.

2Look at the waiting periods. If you need dental work yesterday, smaller waiting periods are going to be your friend. On many plans, you must wait a certain amount of time before you can get extensive work done. Other plans may even make you wait for maintenance work. That’s because they know that people think about getting coverage for a month and then dropping it when they don’t need it anymore.XResearch source

Other Options To Consider

4 Tips On Picking Dental Insurance

Some dental offices offer in-house membership or savings programs that work like dental insurance that you can enroll in. Again, this does take some cash up front. But it could be more budget-savvy than going to the dentist without insurance or trying to sign up for an expensive plan you dont understand.

If you already have a dentist that you love or have been going to for years, you might ask about a cash discount.

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Do You Have Questions For Our Team

At Owings Mills Dentistry, we accept many insurance plans and offer alternative in house payment options for those patients that may not have dental coverage. Our goal is to ensure all of our patients can receive the treatment they need. Our staff is always available to answer any questions you may have regarding insurance or financial options.

We care about our patients, and want you to have the best experience when you visit our office. Taking care of your oral health is important, and knowing what coverage you have can help reduce stress, and make your appointments go smoothly.

Consider All Of The Costs

When comparing family dental insurance plans, the first consideration is often the monthly cost or premium. Be sure to also look at the deductibles, or the amount of money that you will have to pay out-of-pocket for dental services before your insurance kicks in.

Another important cost is the maximum annual limit. Most insurance companies cap the amount they will pay per year for dental treatment. When you reach that annual cap, you are then responsible for any costs. This could be very important, especially if someone in your family has ongoing dental issues.

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Dental Insurance Options From Manulife

We are pleased to offer dental insurance coverage in Ontario through Manulife Financial. Manulife options include basic and enhanced services under the Flexcare® DentalPlus program, which gives you the ability to choose from a list of add-ons to create a plan that is tailored to your unique dental insurance coverage needs.

Manulife FollowMe coverage is available for those who apply within 90 days of losing coverage under a group benefits plan.

We also offer the Manulife Association plan, which gives increasing levels of coverage through the Base, Bronze, Silver and Gold dental insurance plans.

Please click on each Manulife® tab below to see the different plan details and rates

Prism plans offers three levels of dental insurance coverage in Ontario:

Basic Coverage This benefit level includes preventative cleaning, routine exams and x-rays and fillings and extractions. It also covers general anesthetics and specific services for children, such as fluoride treatments, space maintainers, and pit and fissure sealants.
Comprehensive Basic Under this coverage level, you can receive periodontal treatment, endodontics/root canal therapy, and denture-related care.
Major Services Coverage In your third benefit year, you can have access to dentures, standard crown restorations, standard bridges and standard repair or recementing of crowns.
Orthodontic Coverage In your third benefit year, you can have access to treatment to straighten teeth and correct the bite.

Humana Offers Family Dental Plans

If youre a current Humana dental plan member, you may be able to add a dependent to your plan at any time. If youre looking for a family dental plan, Humana offers a broad range of plans with varying levels of coverage, many with low monthly premiums. To see plans and prices in your area, check out our Humana Insurance Company dental insurance page.

Dental care

System Requirements

This material is provided for informational use only and should not be construed as medical advice or used in place of consulting a licensed medical professional. You should consult your doctor to determine what is right for you.

Links to various other websites from this site are provided for your convenience only and do not constitute or imply endorsement by Humana of these sites, any products or services described on these sites, or of any other material contained therein. Humana disclaims responsibility for their content and accuracy.

Humana is the brand name for plans, products and services provided by one or more of the subsidiaries and affiliate companies of Humana Inc. . Plans, products, and services are solely and only provided by one or more Humana Entities specified on the plan, product, or service contract, not Humana Inc. Not all plans, products, and services are available in each state.

Medical Plans

Go365® is not an insurance product. Not available with all Humana health plans.

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The Basics Of Dental Insurance

Dental insurance gives you coverage to help pay for certain dental work. These policies can help insured parties pay for all or part of the work their dentists perform, from routine cleanings and X-rays to more-complicated ones such as implants.

Although dental insurance works a little like health insurance, the premiums are typically much lowerbut, of course, theres a catch. Most health insurance policies cover a hefty percentage of even towering expenses once youve paid your deductible, and many have an annual out-of-pocket maximum, along with a $50 to $100 deductible. This is not the case with dental insurance, which usually follows a 100-80-50 coverage structure.

If you are using in-network dentists, dental plans generally pay 100% of preventive careexams, X-rays, and cleanings. Basic procedures, however, such as fillings, root canals, and extractions, only pay 80%, while major procedures such as crowns, bridges, implants, and gum-disease treatment may only be 50% of the cost. Orthodontia and cosmetic dentistry, which are not deemed medically necessary treatments, are usually not covered at all. This means you may still have to pay a hefty price to get your work done.

Dental policies range from group insurance to individual and family plans, and they come in three categories.

Choosing The Right Network

Finding an in-network dentist is one of the biggest factors for choosing dental insurance.

Dental insurance may not be worth it if you use an out-of-network dentist as you will receive minimal or no discount.

Choosing a network with many local providers can make finding a dentist as easy as possible.

For example, some of the Humana dental plans cover 100% of dentists within the network and only 50% of out of network providers.

Be sure to check and double-check with them to make sure all procedures are from an in-network provider before scheduling basic or major work.

What Kind Of Dental Costs Are You Looking At Without Insurance

Every patient is different, so the costs for various procedures differ from one person to the other. However, its helpful to get an idea of a national average of costs for your benefit.

Please note: These costs represent the average costs for dental care nationwide. It doesnt necessarily reflect the dental costs at Harmony Dental.

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What Plan Materials Should I Ask For

Dental Insurance Plans – How to Find the Best Dental Plan

Often you wont receive that big Dental Plan Booklet from an insurance company until after youre enrolled. This isnt much help when youre trying to weigh plan options! We recommend you ask your HR representative for a few key pieces of information, which well call your Plan Materials:

Summary Plan Description : This document provides an overview of what is provided by the plan, and how the plan works.
Summary of Benefits and Coverage: This document outlines what your insurance will and wont cover.

You should also be able to download these plan-specific materials directly from an insurance companys website.

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Dental Insurance Caps Limits And Deductibles

Most dental insurance policies cap coverage at $1000 -$1,500 a year. When you reach your annual cap, you will have to pay for your dental care for the rest of the year. Given that the average cost for a crown is $750-1200, and the cost of a single implant starts at $1500, you can exhaust your annual dental allowance fairly quickly.

Most dental insurance plans are also likely to have a deducible, an amount that you will have to pay out of pocket for dental services before your insurance will begin to cover their portion of the costs typically $50 for an individual annually, and $150 for a family. But if you buy an insurance bundle that includes health and dental coverage, make sure that your dental plan deductible is separate from your health insurance deductible. It is not unusual for health insurance plans to have multi-thousand dollar deductibles before coverage begins. Unless youre likely to rack up thousands in medical bills annually before you need dental care, youll ideally want your dental plan to have a separate deductible.

Overlooking The Importance Of Customer Service

When one of your employees calls with a question about their plan or a claim, you want the interaction to be fast and accurate. And of course, getting a live person to talk to is better than a robotic, automated system.

The service you get makes a big difference. It keeps employees happy and you free of complaints. At HealthPartners, our Member Services team resolves 95% of issues on the first call.

Plus, we take the member out of the middle by working with network and non-network providers to file claims directly with us. Thats simple and a better experience for everybody. Service is a priority.

Your takeaway: Great customer service matters. It saves everyone time and helps to keep everyone happy.

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Consider Restrictions Regarding Treatment Options

Some dental plans have restrictions regarding the types of treatments that can be covered. For example, some plans may only cover the most inexpensive form of treatment possible, even if the dentist feels another approach may provide a better outcome. Also, if you need specialty work done, these services may not be covered. Be sure to carefully analyze the complete list of covered treatments for each plan you consider.

Consider Group Dental Or Savings Plans

Some dental professionals support group dental plans that can be a huge source of additional savings for many families. These plans require that you pay a fee to join a group that allows access to specific discounted rates for some dental services. In many cases, these savings plans do not cover all types of dental treatments. However, they are worth looking into for many patients that need to save additional money on their dental care.

We all get just one set of teeth to carry us through all of our life adventures. Protecting the long-term health of your familys teeth and gums is likely very important to you. This can be especially true if you have young children in your household. The tips listed above have been designed to help you select a dental plan that can address the oral health needs of your entire family. By following these tips, you can easily choose an effective and affordable dental insurance option near you.

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