Secondary insurance, or "supplemental insurance," can greatly reduce your medical costs, but in most cases, secondary dental insurance does not exist. (The one exception being indemnity policies available at the high cost of $300+ per month.)
If you are looking for another way to save on dentist bills, you may want to know that dental discount plans are a cost-effective way to receive discounts in addition to any coverage you already have.
3 most common scenarios in which an additional discount plan helps patients save:
1. You are on Medicare or Medicaid. These government programs cover primarily extractions. Neither program covers restorative procedures, such as fillings, crowns, dentures, etc.
2. You have a "traditional" dental insurance policy, with waiting periods, deductibles (dollar amounts you must pay before coverage begins) and maximums (coverage limits, on average just $1200 per year), which does not cover pre-existing conditions. These limitations mean that many of your procedures will not be covered when you need them. If you have a large family, or even if you need multiple fillings and the occasional root canal, you can quickly hit your maximum and have to pay the rest out-of-pocket. The premiums are also very expensive - traditional insurance is designed to get more money from you in premiums than it will pay out in claims.
3. Your current discount plan does not include the procedure you need. (The best plans help you save on the vast majority of dentistry procedures, and cosmetic procedures including implants and veneers.)
How do dental discount plans work?
a. These plans reduce prices of procedures by 20-60% or more at participating dentists.
b. Your dentist will charge you from a pre-negotiated list of discounts at the time of your visit instead of a filing a claim.
c. Their in-network-only systems allow companies to offer them for as little as $6.95/month.
d. These plans do not have the limitations typical of insurance - which means they are easy to use, especially in conjunction with another plan.
While dentist offices typically accept only one plan per visit, you can, however, strategically use different plans on different visits. By gaining a discount dental plan in addition to the coverage you already have, you may gain more freedom to save on more procedures.
Good Stuff Happens in 1:1 Meetings: Why you need them and how to do them well
Secondary Dental Insurance
1. Individual Dental Plan Insurance
These days, a large number of people purchase individual dental plan insurance so they can take care of
their dental care costs. A dental plan pays for the cost of the dental care provider and the required
treatment. Depending on the type of health care plan, dental insurance can also be covered. But, if you
are looking for a separate individual dental plan insurance, then it also a good idea.
Dental Plan
One of the major benefits of having dental insurance is that no matter how much your dental care bill
is, it will be taken care of by the insurance company. There are many different types of dental care
plans available today. However, before you choose one, it is important that you analyze the coverage
and scheme of the particular plan. The two major types of dental plans include indemnity dental plans
and managed care dental plans.
Indemnity Plans
Under these plans, the person who is seeking insurance must select a dentist from the network of the
insurance company's dentists. These plans can be really beneficial as you will not have to pay any
deductibles. They are also cheaper when compared to indemnity plans. There are different types of
indemnity plans that you can choose from. Some of the popular options include Dental Health
Maintenance Organization, Dental Preferred Provider Organization and Dental Point of Service plans.
Affordable Dental Plan
Traditional Plans
Under the traditional plans, the person seeking insurance has the freedom to choose his own dentist. He
can visit any dentist and the expenses will be paid on a fee-for-service basis. Under such plans, full
expenses are covered and these include expenses for routine checkups, dental cleanings and other
dental care procedures. However, for other treatments and services such as fillings and root canals, the
policyholder will be required to pay a deductible because these plans will cover only up to 80% of the
expenses.
These days, even employers provide dental health coverage as part of benefits package to their
employees. This can be really beneficial for the employees because they will get dental insurance at an
affordable rate and coverage for their family as well. However, if the employer does not offer such
benefit, then it is important to get individual dental insurance plan. This is a good option because
individual plans are sold directly to the customers by the insurance companies and the policy holders
can deal directly with the insurance company at any point in time.
Dental Care
Finding Dental Insurance Providers
Individual dental insurance can be obtained quite easily, but there are certain requirements that will
have to be met before the company sells a policy. If you are looking for a dental health insurance plan,
it is a good idea to research about the different providers, their requirements, the types of plans they
2. offer and the amount that you will have to pay as premium. Always remember that you have to choose
a plan that is suitable for your needs. List your priorities and what you need from your insurance plan
before you make your final decision.