Dental Insurance & Discount Plans
Dental Plans Vary in How Much They Cost and How They Work.
Why Medicare Beneficiaries may need a Supplemental Dental Plan:
Medicare doesn’t cover most dental care. That is unless the care is the result of a medical condition.
If you enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan, your plan will likely include some dental coverage. As a result, the benefit may be limited to preventive dental work such as regular check-ups, cleanings, and x-ray. Also, you may need additional dental coverage.
You can improve your dental coverage by enrolling in either a dental insurance or dental discount plan recommended by Florida Seniors Health Insurance.
How Dental Insurance Works:
- The most common types of dental insurance plans are Dental Maintenance Organizations, DMOs, and Preferred Provider Organizations, PPOs.
- Like an HMO, in a DMO, you need to use a dentist from their contracted network. You will need to get referrals from your dentist to see a specialist. Since they are paid less, many dentists won’t accept the DMO.
- A more popular option, are dental PPOs. That is because these plans pay dentists more for their services. You don’t have to choose a dentist and you can use a dentist out of network. In that case, the plan with still pay them for their services.
- Dental PPOs have a small calendar year deductible that you need to pay before the plan will cover your services. After you pay the deductible, you will pay a percent of services. The most common coverage is 100-80-50. Preventive care, such as cleanings are usually covered at 100%, basic services are covered at 80% and major services such as periodontal work are covered at 50%.
- In addition, the plans have an annual maximum benefit that they will cover. The maximum can range from $1,000-$2,500 or more. The higher the plan benefit the more you will pay in premiums.
- Finally, most plans have waiting periods before they will cover expensive services. In some case, you will need to wait 12 months for a major procedure.
How Dental Discount Plans Work:
- When you enroll in a Dental Discount Plan, The dentist offer you a significant discount on his services.
- The benefit to you is there is immediate coverage for all procedures. The office will have a separate price list for members of a discount plan, which is like the price list when you are shopping at Costco vs. shopping at a typical grocery store.
- You will not be charged deductibles, there are no waiting periods or maximum annual benefits.
- Finally, you will pay a lower annual premium than if you enroll in a dental insurance plan.
- Therefore, your total costs will be lower.
- If you enroll in a Dental Insurance or Savings Plan from one of the links below, I earn a small commission, and there is no extra charge to you.
- You can view the plans at this link: Dental Discount Plans
- You can view dental insurance plans at this link: Dental Insurance Plans
Do you have questions or would you like to enroll in a Dental Plan? Florida Medicare Health Insurance will refer you to the right plan.
