Nsurance Info
Dental Insurance vs. Discounted Dental Plans
Oral health and maintenance of the same is
a very important part of a healthy lifestyle. Prevention
and correction of dental problems on time is essential to
stem the damage to one of the most important organs of the
human body. Many people do not realize the importance of
maintaining their oral health. Most Americans who do are
without effective dental coverage.
This is mainly due to cutting costs by
major businesses effecting employee dental benefits.
People who are used to regular maintenance of dental
health are looking at options where they can get dental
benefits. One main question on their minds today is “How
benefits differ between Dental Insurance and Discount
Dental Plans?”
Dental insurance is not available for
individuals and families. Is traditionally a coverage
offered by employers to their employees who pay monthly
premiums for fixed coverage. This kind of coverage has
drawbacks – ceiling on spending, deductible or
non-reimbursable issues, and waiting periods for certain
kind of dental procedures, limitations and care or disease
exclusions.
This kind of coverage also involves
submission of claims. Dental Insurance traditionally
covers preventive dental services like cleaning and
routine examinations at 100% after deductibles are
adjusted (they may vary from $20-$50 annually per
individual). However, the choice of the dentist is up to
the individual and premium is about $30 a month for
individuals and $100 a month for families.
Discount dental plans on the other hand
offer dental benefits to everyone and are designed to give
access to the dentist networks at discounted rates. They
are also known as reduced fee dental plans or affordable
dental plans. They are easy to join and does not involve
any paperwork. Discount dental plans are generally
membership programs that provide coverage on an annual
basis with monthly membership fee.
Consumers get secured discounts on dental
services like exams, routine cleanings, extractions, root
canals, fillings, dentures, and braces. They save the
consumer 10-60% percent off standard fee of visiting a
participating network provider or dentist.
The traditional dental insurance and
discounted dental plans can also be clubbed together in
certain situations to maximize savings.
Some of the
characteristics of Dental Insurance include:
-
Limitations, deductibles and annual maximums
-
Waiting periods for major dental procedures
-
Tedious and time-consuming written claims process
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Limitations/exclusions on pre-existing conditions
-
Certain dental specialties, such as cosmetic dentistry, are
rarely covered
-
Consumers pay expensive monthly premiums for defined coverage
-
Typically inaccessible to individuals and families unless provided
by their employer
Some of the
characteristics of Discount Dental Plans include:
-
No annual limits, members enjoy discounts on most dental services
all year long
-
Most plans activate within 1 - 3 business days
-
No tiresome paperwork hassles, plan membership card is presented
for discounts on most dental services
-
No health restrictions
-
Select plans include discounts on dental specialties, including
cosmetic dentistry and orthodontics
-
Consumers pay affordable membership fees for access to a network of
providers offering discounts on most dental procedures
-
Available directly to individuals, families, businesses and groups
In short, discount dental plans are an affordable and
easy-to-use alternative to dental insurance, and offer
plan members significant savings on most dental
procedures.
