Dental Care Discount Plan
From LoveToKnow Insurance
A dental care discount plan is a viable option for people who find themselves paying for much of their dental care out-of-pocket. These plans can yield substantial savings for preventative, routine, and emergency dental procedures.
Dental Discount Plans Explained
A dental discount plan can either be used alongside dental insurance coverage or instead as a means to lessen the financial burden of dental care when no insurance is available. Not all employers offer adequate dental insurance coverage as a part of a comprehensive benefit package, but dental health is still important nonetheless.
After enrolling in a price-reduction dental plan you can present the membership card to a participating provider and receive services for free or at a discounted rate. The purpose of these plans is to allow patients to receive the dental care they need while also offering a substantial discount for the services. Some plans will include necessary dental procedures for free on an annual basis, such as for regular dental exams or x-rays. The discount rate for these services vary from plan to plan, and there is certainly no shortage of companies offering suitable dental discount plans.
Costs
Cost-reduction dental plans usually feature one fee that is normally paid on an annual basis. The fees vary from plan to plan and generally increase depending on the number of family members included in the plan. Most money-saving plans cost an average of under $200 per year for a family plan, but this depends also on the location of the family purchasing the plan. The dental discount plan entitles members to free or greatly discounted dental services. Discount oral health plans are not dental insurance. There is no deductible to pay, but member must utilize the services of a participating dentist. Not every dentist accepts discount plans.
Find Dental Care Discount Plans
There is an abundance of companies offering dental care discount plans:
- The GE Wellness Plan offers discounted dental services in addition to vision, chiropractic, and prescription drug savings. The savings on this plan are substantial. For example, a $40 routine dental exam with a participating dentist results in no out-of-pocket expense for members of this plan.
- Aetna Dental Access is a discount plan designed for both individuals and groups. Employers can offer this program to employees as a benefit in conjunction with dental insurance or in lieu of it.
- The UniCare 200 Dental Plan includes discounts for specialty dental services like orthodontic and cosmetic procedures. UniCare also offers plans suitable for the dental needs of small children.
- The Patriot Plan features one free annual exam and one free annual dental x-ray for members. There is no medical examination prior to enrollment for this plan.
- DentalPlans.com offers an extensive network of plans to choose from. Visit this website if you would like to compare several different discount plans in one place.
Just remember that not every money-saving plan is represented by this website, so the quotes you receive may not include the very lowest quote for your needs.
Read the Fine Print
If you do not have adequate dental insurance then a discount plan can help cover the costs of necessary care. Although a these plans to lower dental costs sounds great in theory you need to make sure to read the contract thoroughly prior to signing up and paying the fee. You don’t want to spend money on a plan that will essentially be worthless, whether due to limited services or instead a lack of local participating dentists. After all, a dental cost-savings plan will do you no good if there is no local dentist willing to accept it.
A reduced-cost dental plan can be a smart decision for an individual or family that needs to save money when it comes time to visit the dentist. Although it is true that an enrollment fee must be paid, many times the savings yielded from these plans is entirely worth the cost.
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Comments
Steve, Thanks for taking the time to add New Dental Choice to our list of alternatives -- our California readers will really appreciate the added information!
Thanks again for your comment and for visiting LoveToKnow Insurance.
Another alternative is New Dental Choice which is the only California state licensed dental discount plan and it is currently available in California and Arizona. It is not insurance. All dental procedures are discounted with no limitations, deductibles, waiting periods, or claim forms to bother with. It has over 14,000 dentist and specialist locations.
-- Contributed by: Steve Johnson
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