Community Chat

[shy bobcat]

DH and I are retired. He had dental work done and we just learned that our dental insurance (Cobra coverage) had expired...ouch! If you purchase dental insurance and like it, would you mind sharing the plan name with me? We will be looking into various plans to enroll in.

[LilacTree]

Go online to www.dentalplans.com and have a look at the discount plans that are offered. They are all highly discounted rates that dentists who participate offer when asked and they only cost approximately $100+ a year per person. I use one and had extensive work done on my teeth for half the cost one would normally pay. It is not insurance, and one is not limited to a certain amount per year. You can have as much dental care as you like. You must pay the cost yourself but, again, it is at sometimes 75% reduction in a dentist's normal rates.

More and more dentists are participating in these plans every year because they are finding it more profitable as they can service far more patients. It is not a scam, you will see many familiar names of companies who subscribe to these discount plans.

[RedTop]

I kept my vision and dental coverage for 18 months thru COBRA after I retired. At the end of 18 months, I opted not to renew the coverage thru my former employer. Since my vision issues right now are mainly covered under my health insurance, I chose not to pay for vision coverage, but did sign up for the comprehensive plan with Delta Dental. The cost is under $30 per month, which is very close to what I was paying for my COBRA coverage.

[terrier3]

Ask your dentist if he has a private plan. Many dentists do now.

My dentist charges $225 a year. The plan includes X rays, 2 cleanings and 25% off everything else. The fee covers the preventative care.

Many dental plans for individuals have a lot of qualifiers - the one my company sells won't pay out for fillings for the first 6 months you have the plan! And the max reimbursed in a year is $750. Individual plans are expensive.

BTW - COBRA is an expensive rip-off. If you are out of work, you can get ACA insurance at a far lower cost with a tax credit too...even a DIRECT plan through an insurance company (with no tax credit) is usually less expensive.

COBRA charges up to 10% more than your old company's plan - the company is allowed to keep that money as an administrative cost.

I sell insurance...

[Madisson]

Go to deltadental.com. They have multiple choices of plans just about everywhere and for everyone. Just be sure that your dentist is in their network. If you call your dentist and ask if they accept Delta Dental, don't settle for "yes." You have to ask if they are in the Delta Dental network. Every dentist will accept Delta, but not all are in network...which means that the dentist does not write off the portion that is beyond Delta's usual and customary. Delta also has some rules that other insurance companies do not for most of their plans (like bitewing x-rays only covered every two years). Many dentists do not like Delta.

Dental insurance is not necessarily a money saver unless you really have a lot of work to be done. If all you need is cleaning, exam, and bitewings, you may not save much money (if anything) with dental insurance...keeping in mind that besides the fee for cleaning, exam, and bitewings, you also have the insurance premium. Also, keep in mind that most insurances limit the annual benefit maximum to $1,000-$1,500 a year.