Dental Insurance Offers Means For Quality Dental Care
One of the best health investments a family can make is with dental insurance to improve the likelihood of continued quality dental health. Since many people do not carry dental insurance their visits to the dentist are often limited to emergency services by which time any additional problems uncovered during an exam are far enough along and may be extremely expensive to correct.
There are some consortiums of dental practitioners who have joined together to offer reduced health care costs for insurance companies. The insurance industry negotiates with members of these plans in order to lower costs for the insured. Dentists in the plan agree to accept limits on their services for the insured. Patients they see who are part of the dental insurance plan will be paying higher prices.
Due to the negotiated prices being lower than traditional costs, many dentists choose not to be part of the organization and when a person who has dental insurance visits this dentist they will need to pay the entire bill at then submit the receipt to the insurance company for reimbursement. They will be reimbursed the amount the insurance company would pay to a dental insurance plan dentist.
Preventive Care Costs Less Than Corrective Procedures
In most cases, dental insurance will cover the costs of annual cleaning and examination and if the dentist finds a problem that needs corrected, will find out how much the insurance company is willing to pat for the procedure. In these cases the insured will have to pay the balance, normally up front, and the dentist accept the dental insurance plan payment as the balance.
Many times the dental insurance will have an annual ceiling that they cover and any costs that exceed that amount will be the responsibility of the patient. However, most patients will be informed as to their relative position to the ceiling and will delay procedures until the following year when the dental insurance will pick up the tab. These annuals limits are separate from any deductible and co-payment requirements.
Many companies are beginning to add dental insurance as an option for employees with a minimum of annual check ups that usually include cleaning and X-rays. Any additional work need may not be covered or if it is, usually does not offer much in the way of a significant reduction in dental care costs. However, many people receive the insurance without costs or at a minimum premium, making the annual cleaning and exam an affordable option for better dental health care.
Insurance vs. Discount Cards
Dental insurance is also different from a discount card which many companies try to sell you on and offline. Signature Dental, for instance is not dental insurance. It is a discount card accepted by many dentists across the nation which gives you fixed discounts depending on the procedure being performed. However, you can not use them in conjunction with dental insurance; it is an either-or situation.
For instance, if you need to have a filling and you do not have dental insurance, then a discount plan might be able to save you a little money. You can enroll with the discount dental program for an annual fee of around $50 (or look for a 30 day money back guarantee) and then save each time you visit a participating dentist. If the dentist accepts the discount plan (and always make sure in advance that they do) then if for instance fillings cost $100, you might have to pay $70 to the dentist instead.
With dental insurance, the scenario is a little different. You pay a monthly premium to the insurance company and then you are provided with a list of what is included and at what rate. Most dental insurance companies offer free routine check ups twice a year. If yours doesn't, shop around because many do. If however, the dentist notices something that needs to be checked out further, he may order x-rays and deep cleaning or fillings and root canals. If that is the case, refer to your insurance booklet and see what percentage is covered by the dental insurance company. For instance, they could say that cleanings are free, covered at 100 percent, fillings covered at 80 per cent and extractions at 50 per cent.
