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Steps In Choosing Your Ideal Dental Plan

Steps In Choosing Your Ideal Dental Plan
Since ordinary health insurance policies don’t usually cover most dental procedures, except for accidental injuries and for children, it makes sense to add a separate dental insurance plan to your overall strategy for coping with potential healthcare costs.
Free dental check up and teeth cleanings, coverage of most non-cosmetic dental procedures, and the possibility of coupling your dental insurance with vision insurance for further discounts, all make it well worthwhile to find a good dental plan.

But how do you know which dental plan is best? Here are 3 basic steps to help you make the right decision in that regard:

1. Learn About Different Plan-types
Dental insurance comes in a variety of different forms, and different plan-types can work in radically different ways. Thus, it’s crucial you to research the meaning of dental indemnity, DHMO, and PPO so you understand exactly what your plan pays for and how it pays.

You don’t want to be surprised when you get a bill and an EOB (explanation of benefits) that leaves you far more to pay out of pocket than you anticipated.

Thus, you need to familiarize yourself with the deductibles, copays or coinsurance, waiting periods, and other details of your policy, as well as the overall plan-type and dental network. All of these things will affect the total value of your policy and how well it fits your specific situation.

2. Get Quotes And Run Scenarios
Next, once you’ve understood the basic framework of the plans offered by different dental insurers, you need to get more specific and targeted information.

Based on plan-types and the availability of in-network providers at locations convenient to you, select no more than 4 or 5 dental insurer to put on your “short list.”

Get a quote from each insurer that the company will stand behind should you decide to purchase the policy. Then, you need to run specific scenarios as to which types of dental procedure you might use and how much they would cost under the terms of each prospective policy.

Look at how much you’ve spent on dental care over the past year or two and project how much you’ll likely spend in the years ahead. Be as realistic as possible with your scenarios, and then compare the cost-benefit balance of each prospect based on how things would probably pan out financially for you if you chose that policy.

3. Meet With Your Insurer & Provider Before Committing
You have to choose your dentist and dental insurer in sync because of the connections dentists have or don’t have with specific insurance companies. After all, you want to derive maximum benefit from your policy once it’s in place.

Meet with the dentist you would likely use IF you chose a particular dental insurance plan FIRST. Be sure you’re comfortable with his/her level of expertise and the cleanliness and professionalism of the dental facility.

As what specific dental procedures that dentist can handle. And find out if the dental insurer you’re considering would cover procedures by specialists if your regular dentist referred you to them.

If you’re satisfied with the in-network dentist you’d use, and you’re happy with the insurance plan-type, details, and quote, then you should talk with the insurer briefly before making a final decision to enroll.

To learn more about how dental insurance works, or for a free quote, contact Flagler County (FL) Insurance Agency today!