According to the American Dental Association, only about 60% of the American public has dental insurance. This coverage is almost always supplied by their employer or professional association.
That leaves 40% of Americans without any dental coverage whatsoever including those on Medicare such as the the elderly.
To make matters worse, fewer and fewer dental insurance underwriters are offering individual dental coverage these days as only 10% of such companies offer this type of insurance anymore (SOURCE: The National Association of Dental Plans).
Even if one can get individual dental insurance, the rates they will pay are astronomical because they are not part of a group and therefore do not receive group rates. Seeing this problem develop, some health benefit companies have started offering what is known as "discount" or "reduced-fee" dental plans. In fact, companies offering these types of plans are one of the fastest growing segments of the health care industry. This segment is growing so fast in fact that consumers can easily become overwhelmed with the differences in price, fee schedules, restrictions, enrollment options, etc., that the different discount dental plans offer.
As the Webmaster of a website that tries to make sense out of all the different dental plans, let me pass on 3 lessons I have learned that have enabled me to quickly and decisively recommend one discount dental plan over another.
1. Make Sure There Are Local Dentists Nearby
Most dental plans like to boast about how many tens of thousands of dental providers they have their nationwide network. What is important is not how many participating dental providers a given dental plan has, but how many providers there are where you live. What is more important to a dental plan's value then knowing if there is a least one general dentist nearby who accepts that plan. After all, what's the point of enrolling in a dental plan whose nearest participating dentist is 100 miles away?
Even when a plan claims that there are several dental providers near you, these claims can be very deceiving as dental plans have several "tricks" to boost their network numbers making it seem that there are many more dentists who accept their plan than who actually do. For instance, dental providers who work out of more than one office are counted twice or more while providers who stop accepting the plan are all too often still counted as "participating"?
2. Make Sure There Are Specialists And Not Just General Dentists Nearby
Although most of the dental work you and/or your family will need can be taken care by a general dentist, the fact remains that eventually someone is going to need to see a specialist. That is why any dental plan you choose should have a least one of the following dental specialists in your general area: Periodontist, Endodontist, Orthodontist, Oral Surgeon, and Prosthodontist.
Still, I should point out that if I have learned over years it is that far too many people insist on seeing a specialist for a dental problem when a general dentist can treat them just as well and for a lot less money. Therefore, before you go see a dental specialist, I strongly suggest you have a general dentist assess your situation first and then refer you to a specialist if it's something they cannot do themselves.
3. Make Sure You're Dealing With A Reputable Company
Despite being part of a very heavily regulated industry, companies that put out discount dental plans have a history of fly-by-night operators who look to scam the public such as collecting membership fees without providing any service. Make sure you are working with a legitimate firm by checking with your state insurance commissioner to see if the firm is registered. You can reach your state insurance office by visiting NAIC.org
Remember, discount dental plans are consumer driven which means the consumer has the power as opposed to the insurer having the power. And if you follow your device of these three tips, you should be able to make a wise choice in selecting a discount dental plan.
Our family moved to San Francisco a couple of weeks ago and I am familiarizing myself with the different services within our area like dental, hospital, grocery, and so on, and so forth. I came across your blog and I do agree with you that in order to avoid insurance dental scams, you need to do your research or check with your local state insurance commissioner if that company is legitimate before signing in. I've seen several dental marketing plans available that are quite appealing to me. As a wise consumer, I'll do a couple more research or I'll drop by later after work at their office to get the details about their plan. Thanks for sharing this informative post!
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