Reclining on the dentist’s chair, anxious about what your dentist can see through her dental IOC, and hoping that whatever the issue is won’t cost a lot. This is what commonly happens when people go visit their dentist.
Over the past several years, one in four Americans put off going to the dentist for needed treatment because they don’t have enough money for it.
Dental expenditures are usually managed using one of the methods listed below:
- Traditional dental insurance
- Managed care dental insurance plans
- Discount plans
- Dental financing
- Direct arrangements
Each of these tends to have its own distinct advantages and disadvantages. Not one method will be the best choice, or even available, to everyone.
Traditional Dental Insurance
This kind of coverage provides benefits for treatment the insured has obtained from their dentist, on a fee-for-service basis. That just means that each course of action comes to be a subject of coverage as it’s needed and done.
The insurance company will divide a list of dental procedures into classifications.
- Benefits for preventive dental care might be provided at 100% of the charge.
- For other procedures, coverage might only be at 50 to 80%.
- In those circumstances where the cost of the treatment is not completely covered, the patient shells out the difference.
Dental insurance plans usually employ the services of a wide range of dentists. This arrangement allows you to seek services from your chosen dentist.
The total amount of benefits provided by a policy is typically limited by a deductible and annual maximum.
Managed Care Dental Insurance Plans
Managed care plans are in the form of the following:
- Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO)
- Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)
- Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO)
HMOs
Dental HMOs involve an agreement where a dentist contracts to deliver services to the plan’s members. The dentist is then paid a fixed amount for every plan member who has selected them as their treatment provider. Ultimately, the dentist is obligated to provide any and all needed treatment for these members, as stated by the conditions of the plan, during the agreed time frame.
With HMOs, it is common that preventive dental services are provided without cost, though other procedures may require additional payment.
PPOs
In Dental PPOs, the insurance company contracts with dentists to create a group of service providers. In exchange for being included in the group, the dentist agrees to reduce their fees.
Some PPOs will allow you to receive service from a non-participating dentist (not a member of the group). But the deal is that if you do, you will be let off with an inferior level of benefits such as higher deductibles or lower coverage rates among others.
EPOs
Dental EPOs are similar in nature to PPOs with the exception that you are presented with no option other than receiving your treatment from a dentist who is affiliated with the plan’s group of providers.
Dental plans could vary widely in the amount of leeway they let you when selecting a dentist who will provide your dental care.
If you already have a dentist, you might feel that it is important for you to keep on obtaining your care from them. If so, you will want a plan that would allow you to choose whom to see for dental care.
But, if you do not currently have a dentist, or are receptive to the idea of shifting, something like an EPO would be acceptable.
How to Pay for Dental Treatment – Part 2
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