Best Dental Insurance for Seniors
We all are aware of the increase in the susceptibility rate to diseases as humans age. Older adults may also be prone to several oral health conditions, such as tooth decay or dental caries and gum disease, in addition to various health conditions.
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Medicare and Dental Insurance Coverage
Medicare, which is a government-controlled health insurance program, is specifically designed to cover the medical expenses of older adults that are above sixty-five years of age. However, Medicare Part A and B do not offer coverage for most dental care and dental procedures, such as cleaning, tooth extraction, filling and dentures.
Medicare Part C, which is also called Medicare Advantage Plans (MA plans), is the only type of Medicare that may offer coverage for some dental care and dental procedures. However, this benefit is not universal but varies by the insurance company. Meanwhile, you can benefit from dental coverage provided by dental insurance, or dental savings plan irrespective of your age.
Dental Insurance Waiting Period
Dental insurance companies usually enforce a specific waiting period before the activation of your dental coverage plan for your dental care and dental procedures. You will find this specific waiting period in their insurance policy. A waiting period is the number of months you will have to wait for the coverage of your dental care expenses.
You can not purchase a dental insurance coverage plan on Monday because of your oral health conditions, such as tooth decay or dental caries and gum disease, then get a covered dental treatment on Tuesday. You will have to wait for a specific number of months to cover your dental care and dental procedures by your insurance provider. If you have tooth decay, you will have to wait for at least six months for your dental insurance provider to cover the filling cost. However, you may have to wait for about eighteen months to cover certain oral health conditions.
The Coverage Dental Insurance Or Dental Discount Plans Offer
A dental savings plan is not related to insurance. It usually provides discounts on an individual’s dental care cost, thereby offering dental care coverage alongside the traditional dental insurance plans.
The financial protection the insured benefit from dental insurance will keep their financial buoyancy stable by saving them the cost of dental bills they may incur from certain oral health conditions. Irrespective of the merit of having dental insurance, there are also various limitations, amongst which the most significant is the annual maximum or coverage limit they come with.
The annual maximum or coverage limit is the maximum amount of money your dental insurance will pay for the cost of dental care and dental procedures you may incur per annum. Once you reach the coverage limit or annual maximum, you will be responsible for the payments of any dental care and dental procedures you incur until you renew the coverage plan. Generally, the annual maximum of most dental insurance usually ranges from $1000 to $2000.
According to the National Association of Dental Plans, most policyholders of dental insurance rarely reach their annual maximum, and only about 2.8% of individuals with dental preferred provider organization plans reach their specific annual maximum per annum.
Dental insurance coverage does not cover all dental care and dental procedures, but they generally cover routine care, such as regular check-ups and cleanings. There are various dental procedures dental insurance usually covers, and they include dentures (prosthodontics), orthodontics, periodontics, root canals, crowns, fillings, and preventive care.
Most dental insurance coverage plans generally cover these dental care and dental procedures via a 100-80-50 coverage structure. This means dental insurance will cover:
– Hundred percent of the cost of preventive care and routine care, such as cleanings, incurred by the insured
– Eighty percent of the cost of basic dental procedures the insured may incur, such as crowns and fillings
– Fifty percent of the cost of dental procedures essential in the correction of mispositioned and misaligned teeth or bite patterns
The Cost Of Dental Insurance For Seniors
Several factors may affect the cost of your dental insurance premiums, such as your age, the type of dental insurance coverage plan you purchase and the number of people covered (which may be an individual-specific plan or family plan).
Irrespective of the factors that may influence the cost of your dental insurance, the average cost of dental insurance ranges from about $10 to $60 per month, depending on the plan you choose. Most dental insurance companies usually charge their policyholders the rate of $30 for their premium cost.
A dental discount plan usually costs less than the traditional dental insurance coverage plan, with an average cost that ranges from about $10 to $20 per month for individual coverage. Dental discount, as the name implies, offers about ten to sixty percent discount towards your dental procedures, depending on the services they are offering.
Furthermore, dental insurance plans and dental discount plans usually require an annual commitment to keep your insurance policy active. However, you may be required to pay a specific deductible for some plans.
Factors to consider before purchasing a dental insurance plan
There are several options of dental insurance companies in the market, which may make it challenging to find the one that will suit your needs. Although the choice of a dental insurance provider generally depends on your personal decision and priorities, you will be more secure if you consider the following factors.
– Network size
– Annual maximum
– Price
Network size
There are several types of dental insurance plans that differ in the network they provide to the insured; these networks include in-network or out-of-network. In-network offers coverage to the insured for dental care and dental procedures with a specific dental care provider. You will have to cross-check the insurance policy for the network size they promise to offer you, especially if you have a favourite dentist outside an in-network policy.
Annual maximum
This is the maximum amount of coverage your insurance provider promises to cover your dental bills per annum. If you reach the coverage limit, you will pay for any dental care expenses you incur out of your pocket. It will therefore be beneficial if you purchase dental insurance that offers a high annual maximum.
Price
This is one of the most significant factors you must consider before purchasing dental insurance because there is a variation of the cost of a specific dental care coverage with several dental insurance providers. Various dental insurance providers offer different costs for a similar coverage plan. Hence, you will have to search for a dental insurance provider that provides coverage similar to other expensive insurance companies at an affordable rate.
The Best Dental Insurance Providers For Seniors
After considering several factors before purchasing a dental insurance plan stated earlier and you need a dental insurance plan in which its affordable rate does not affect the quality of the coverage they offer, you should consider the following dental insurance companies.
Smart Health Dental, which gives seniors a chance to choose between preventive coverage and comprehensive coverage
DentalInsurance.com offers three types of dental plans; Dental Health Maintenance Organizations Plan, Dental Preferred Provider Organizations, plans and dental discount plans.
Carington, which provides the insured with a larger network of dental care providers
