Buy Dental Insurance
Before you buy dental insurance, it’s a good idea to understand the different plans available and the level of service and coverage they provide.
PPO Dental Plans
A Dental PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) plan is offered by a network of dentists that have come together and decided to offer lower costs to the patients who buy the PPO plan. As a plan buyer, you get lower prices in return for using one of the dentists in the network.
At a PPO dentist, you’ll pay what’s called “coinsurance” which is a percentage of the network offered rate for the treatment you received. PPOs generally charge different percentages for different types of treatment. For example, you may pay 20% of preventative treatments such as cleaning and x-rays while you would be charged 50% for major treatments like bridges and crowns. You will usually have a deductable you will have to pay first and then an annual maximum amount of coverage.
If you want to buy PPO dental insurance, check to see if you can visit a dentist out of the network and what the difference in charges will be.
HMO Dental Plans
A HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) dental plan, or a pre-paid plan is the kind of insurance that requires a co-pay at each visit (although sometimes preventative care is covered with no payment at all), but there are no deductibles or annual maximum limits.
With an HMO, you will have to select one dentist or facility to take care of all your dental needs. Your dentist can refer you to a specialist if needed, but you may need preauthorization from the insurance company for any special treatment.
If you want to see a dentist outside of your specified dental facility, you will probably pay the full amount with no insurance coverage from your HMO.
Fee-for –Service Dental Plans
To have the most freedom choosing your dental care provider, you can choose a fee-for-service or indemnity dental plan. This plan is much like the PPO plan, but you are not required to use a network participating dentist. You still pay a co-insurance and generally have a deductible and annual maximum. But because you are not using a network of dentists that have lowered their rates for the PPO, your rates will be higher than with the PPO.
Comparing these plans, you can see that as a consumer, you will pay more for dental care if you choose a plan with more freedom. You can pay less with a plan that limits your dental provider choices. Before you buy dental insurance, make sure to shop around, talk to other people about their dental insurance, get several quotes, and then carefully compare each plan option with your specific dental needs. Buying dental insurance online is an easy way to get several quotes and compare your options.
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