Affordable dental insurance?

[lovinpoohbear]

Just started a new job, great medical benefits but no dental coverage! I am a bit surprised by this since I am working for a large healthcare center and should have really looked more into the benefits prior to accepting. But here I am, 3 months into the position and I love it!! So looking for a dental insurance that I could pay for myself for a family plan.
Been looking on the internet but some plans are "discount" plans or don't look legit.
Thank you if you have any recommedations!

 

[pantherlj]

An average family policy in NC (group or individual) runs about $100 to $125. That will cover cleanings every 6 months per person in the family.

Major stuff is covered at 50% - orthodontics aren't included. It would have about a $2K cap.

You can do the math to see if it's worth it to get the insurance or just "self fund" - set aside $100 a month to cover expenses.

 

[neatokimmo]

Our dental insurance at work stinks. No local dentists take it so whatever the insurance doesn't cover, you have to pay out of pocket.

It was cheaper to pay for 2 cleanings, 1 xray set for DD and an $1100 crown out of pocket than it was to for "dental insurance".

Oh and the kicker....you had to be insured with this policy for 2 years before they would cover a crown. $720 for cleanings? I think not.

 

[lovinpoohbear]

Oh no!I was hoping for better news! I'm currently on my cobra dental and I'm paying $60 per month for family Plan through anthem. It's great, preventative no cost and for fillings etc it covers 90%. Since I'm paying the $60 (cobra) , that is what my previous employer was paying to cover. I was hoping to find a similiar plan I could purchase. We are a family of 5 and with the average dental cleaning being close to $200 (including fluoride and xrays) the ental insurance was worth it to us.

 

[puffkin]

Oh no!I was hoping for better news! I'm currently on my cobra dental and I'm paying $60 per month for family Plan through anthem. It's great, preventative no cost and for fillings etc it covers 90%. Since I'm paying the $60 (cobra) , that is what my previous employer was paying to cover. I was hoping to find a similiar plan I could purchase. We are a family of 5 and with the average dental cleaning being close to $200 (including fluoride and xrays) the ental insurance was worth it to us.

Why, your dental costs seem really high at $200/visit! We currently break about even with our dental coverage each year but in the past we have not had it because the plans were so expensive compared to our costs.

I know a regular cleaning around here costs about $80-$90. We only do xrays every 2 years or so (for adults) and once a year for kids. I also don't do fluoride treatments for my son but have read that once a year is ok.

 

[ccgirl]

Just started a new job, great medical benefits but no dental coverage! I am a bit surprised by this since I am working for a large healthcare center and should have really looked more into the benefits prior to accepting. But here I am, 3 months into the position and I love it!! So looking for a dental insurance that I could pay for myself for a family plan.
Been looking on the internet but some plans are "discount" plans or don't look legit.
Thank you if you have any recommedations!

Not sure if they have it near you but check out delta dental. Check out your health insurance policy too. A lot of health insurances will pay 100% of cleanings. So, it is the "elective" procedures you would have to pay OOP for.

 

[princessbride6205]

I haven't cost compared very much, but cleanings run about $129 in Minneapolis without dental insurance - and that's without x-rays! Now we're without dental insurance, which is for the best since the plan work provided (but didn't contribute to) was pretty terrible. The cheapest possible individual coverage for my area was Humana. I'm looking at signing up with them.

 

[Lewisc]

Oh no!I was hoping for better news! I'm currently on my cobra dental and I'm paying $60 per month for family Plan through anthem. It's great, preventative no cost and for fillings etc it covers 90%. Since I'm paying the $60 (cobra) , that is what my previous employer was paying to cover. I was hoping to find a similiar plan I could purchase. We are a family of 5 and with the average dental cleaning being close to $200 (including fluoride and xrays) the ental insurance was worth it to us.

Group insurance for dental works because some employees don't use the plan. Individual plans are only bought by people who know they'll be using it and plan on getting "their monies worth".

Your annual premium is $720. You said your cleanings are $200. That means your annual benefit for a family of 5 is $1000 ($2000 if everyone gets 2 cleanings a year). Insurance companies aren't stupid. Your plan, if sold individually, would have to more then triple your current premium.

Your best bet is a plan which gives you access to a network (discounted fees) and might pay something for your cleanings. Basically a way to budget your dental expenses monthly (cleanings) and give you a discount for other services. Some health insurance plans offer discounts on other services. Health club. Vision. Sometimes a limited (discounted) dental plan is one of those options.

Some employers offer a voluntary dental plan which does just that. The employee pays the full premium.