subject: Is Dental Insurance A Good Buy? [print this page] Are you concerned about dental costs? If you have been looking for a way to control costs, you have probably seen that you can find a couple of different offers.
Is dental insurance or a dental discount plan the right choice for you? Or would it even be best to combine the 2 types of coverage for the best protection for your healthy mouth and healthy tpocket book? Let us look at these two different types of plans, so you can see which one will be the best choice for yourself and your family.
Note that there is a lot of talk about the number of peoople who lack good health isurance in the US. Some companies, especially smaller ones, have no dental benefit plan. Millions of people work for themselves, and they also lack benefits.
Even more people lack a dental benefit because they are unemployed or work at a job that does not have these benefits. Any services from a dentist can add up, and if you need major treatment, you can spend thousands of dollars.
I just make a point of this because I am not sure why a discussion of dental care plans is not included in the health care debate. A healthy mouth is, of course, an essential part of having a healthy body.
What about buying dental insurance? A lot of people try to control their costs this way. They pay a premium, and in return the insurer will cover some part of dental services. Most plans do have copays, limits, and deductibles thought. You will still be pulling out your checkbook or debit card, even if you have dental coverage.
Another choice is to purchase a dental discount plan. This is not the same as insurance. It is similar to some dental coverage in that it may have a network of service providers like dentists, orthodontists, etc. These providers agree to provide discounted services in return for being included in this network. The network may save the providers money because it attracts a stream of customers who also belong to the discount plan.
You must understand that dental discount plans do not pay for things. It allows discounted access, and may include some free, or very low cost services like periodic checkups and cleanings.
Sometimes the right answer is to actually do both things. The combination of some times of dental insurance with a dental discount plan may be the most affordable way to control costs. The insurance policy will cover some treatments while the discount plan may help you get cheaper services on things that are not covered.
Many dental policies exclude braces or cosmetic dentistry. The discount plan may allow you to access these services at a discount. A dental indemnity insurance policy may not have a network, and you may have a lot of out of pocket costs on covered services because of the deductible, yearly limits, and copayments. In this case, a plan dentists may offer discounts that allow you get the dental services you need at a much lower price.
by: Marilyn Katz
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