My new job doesn't offer dental insurance and I want to make sure I am insured.
What company offers good dental insurance for an individual?
Most of the time, the only way to get really good dental coverage is through your employer. When you buy dental insurance as an individual, there are deductibles and co-pays and annual maximums that you need to analyze in order to figure out when and if you will actually save money by having insurance coverage. Some of the premiums I have seen make it almost impossible to realize any positive cash flow from the related policy. I mean, at $60 a month with $100 deductible and $1,000 annual maximum, you will have to take $820 out of your own pocket before you realize one penny of "profit" or net gain from your dental insurance.
Then you have to calculate the effect of co-payements. Check the figures and do the math yourself.
Be cautious about buying or choosing a plan where you do not have any choice about the dentist you can see, because you just might not like the dentist(s) listed on the plan and then you are stuck for a year until you can get out of it.
Be cautious about buying a so-called "dental discount plan," often mentioned on Yahoo!, since they also have restrictive lists and they really are not dental insurance at all. Just be careful and understand what you are buying.
For many people who just can't get good dental insurance, a regular savings plan sort of like a Christmas Club with $20-25 a month deposited into a dedicated account will pay off when you examine the return over a lifetime. You may run way over your savings at first, but once you get your mouth straightened out, your annual expenses should not be more than a couple hundred dollars most of the time.
For major treatment, dental insurance is no great deal anyhow. They limit you to $1,000-1,500 per year, subject you to deductibles, co-pays, etc. Imagine if you were in a car accident and your carrier said, "Yep, it's a total loss. Here's a check for $1,500. Good luck coming up with enough money to buy a new car." Dental "insurance" should usually be considered a payment arrangement where you give your dollars to a large company who holds onto them until you say the secret word and manage to get a few of them back.
Reply:Most do. Look for companies with at least 50 to 100 employees.
Reply:In order to find out which dental insurance is "right" for you, consider several things. Examine what services you will need, or what services do you think you will need? Can you make payments happily with your dentist?
One big factor is knowing what you're willing to accept.......Let's face it, you are not going to exactly everything you want, with nothing that you don't.... Know on which you will compromise in order to get the most service for the fairest rate.
One clue to watch for a bad insurance........any insurance that takes moneyout of your paycheck, while at the same time lists all work you need to have done as "pre-existing", thus refusing to cover it!.............that one happened to me!
Hope this helps you! If your company doesn't offer dental; you can always go to the dental clinic in your county. Even if they have to charge you, it's always on a sliding scale, based on how much you make.
Reply:A good benchmark for your research would be the AARP dental program for people over about 55. If you are younger you can still use the information to compare its pricing and coverage to other company's offerings.
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