Dental coverage is something most of us have included in our employer group health insurance plans, but Medicare is different. Do you need dental insurance with Medicare?
Confused about your Medicare coverage options? Watch our free video: How to Find the Best Medicare Coverage Without Paying More Than You Need To…
What dental care does Medicare cover?
Medicare doesn’t cover most dental care, dental procedures, or supplies, like cleanings, fillings, tooth extractions, dentures, or other dental devices.
Medicare Part A, your hospital insurance, will pay for certain dental services that you get when you’re in a hospital. Part A can pay for inpatient hospital care if you need to have emergency or complicated dental procedures, but Original Medicare is not going to provide you with routine cleanings, x-rays, and exams at a dentist’s office.
Alright, so what are your options?
Medicare Supplement plans are not allowed by law to include other insurance products, like dental coverage, bundled with a Medicare Supplement. However, some Medicare Supplement companies do offer dental discount programs to their Medicare Supplement policyholders. It isn’t actual dental insurance, but you can save up to 40 percent on dental care with these discount programs when you use network dental providers. Discount amounts and networks vary by company.
Finally, there are standalone dental insurance plans you can purchase. The premiums can be as low as ten dollars a month, up to over fifty dollars a month, depending on the plan.
Benefits vary
Benefits and networks also vary widely. At the lower premium amounts, you can expect things like oral surgery, dentures, root canals, crowns, and orthodontia to not be covered at all.
Like the dental coverage included with Medicare Advantage plans, standalone dental insurance plans have a maximum limit on how much they will pay for your dental care in a calendar year. With most plans this limit is somewhere between one thousand dollars and fifteen hundred dollars.
Annual Maximum
That annual maximum is an important consideration when comparing standalone dental plans. If you are going to be paying, say, fifty dollars a month, or six hundred dollars a year, for an annual maximum benefit of one thousand dollars or fifteen hundred dollars, is that a good use of your hard-earned money?
Other Options
Another option may be to put that $600 in a savings account every year, and use it to pay for dental expenses when they occur.
Some dental offices offer discounts to patients who have no dental insurance but pay cash for services, so it’s a good idea to speak with your dentist’s office as part of your decision-making process.
So, do you need dental insurance?
That’s entirely up to you.
If you choose a medical plan that includes dental coverage, then you have it.
If you prefer a medical plan that doesn’t have dental insurance or a dental discount program, then we’ll look at the options for dental coverage available in your area, including possible discounts for cash payment with your current dentist, compare the pros and cons of every option, and then you choose the option that will work best for you.
And, because most standalone dental insurance and discount plans are month-to-month contracts, you are free to change your mind anytime during the year.
Curious about the dental options available to you? Give us a call at 877-312-1414 or visit our Instant Quotes page. We’re happy to help you find the best value for your premium dollar.
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