Dental insurance question

[raammartin]

The time for braces is nearing.

DH pays for all of our insurance (health, vision, dental, etc.) and it's really quite inexpensive and good. The dental insurance is pretty good too (costs $7 every other week). Free cleanings, up to $1500 towards braces, pays 85% except on some things which it pays a lesser %.

I work at a hospital and we are about to be bought out by a larger hospital (Community Health Systems, Inc). The new hospital benefits are really good and you can choose your coverage a'la carte. I signed up for the dental insurance so we would be double covered on it. Their dental was reasonably priced (costs $12 every other week) so I thought why not? With that dental we get free cleanings, up to $1000 towards braces, pays 80% except on some things it pays a lesser %.

Anyway, I did that because we've got braces coming up for the kids and other procedures DH and I want to have done and I thought between both of the dental insurances we would come out better. But now I'm thinking...will we? Will both insurances pay towards everything especially braces? I know with double coverage on health insurance the insurance carriers coordinate, but do they/will they with dental?

Does anyone know or is anyone double covered on dental insurance who has gone through the braces phase that can tell me?

THANKS!

PS - I declined being double covered on the health and vision insurances because it was really, really expensive. It was more than double per each one of my checks for family coverage than DH pays for family coverage per month.

 

[Luv'sTink]

Are you wanting the dental for yourself and DH? Our dental only pays ortho for 17 and under, they don't pay anything for adults.

Sorry, I don't know about the other part. I will try to remember to ask my sister she is a dental receptionist and does the billing.

ETA:I see you have two children...oops!

 

[raammartin]

Are you wanting the dental for yourself and DH? Our dental only pays ortho for 17 and under, they don't pay anything for adults.

Sorry, I don't know about the other part. I will try to remember to ask my sister she is a dental receptionist and does the billing.

ETA:I see you have two children...oops!

Braces for the kiddos - sorry for not clarifying that. Both of the dental insurances pay up to so much for braces for anyone on the dental plan whether they are kids or adults.

Thank you so much for asking your sister.

 

[miss missy]

My dental is covered by both of us, we are on eachothers plans an DD on both. Unfortunatley I didnt know I could do this until after braces We work for the same CO so the rules are different. But now I do have both and it works! On say a root canal for me. My plan pays 340.00 and then his pays 340.00 so yes I get the whole 680.00 from them. The only time is doesnt double is cleaning, but that is paid 100% so that is why, there is no extra for them to pay. We get 1500/year each plan, so thats 3000.00.

Hope that helps. I can tell you that the insurance co doesn't know much about it LOL they can never answer a ? on it. I just let the payments go through and thats how I know what they pay.

Oh and braces are 2000.00 lifetime, so I could of got 4000.00 and didn't know, so I paid 2000.00 I didn't have too It was too late by the time I found out.

 

[raammartin]

My dental is covered by both of us, we are on eachothers plans an DD on both. Unfortunatley I didnt know I could do this until after braces We work for the same CO so the rules are different. But now I do have both and it works! On say a root canal for me. My plan pays 340.00 and then his pays 340.00 so yes I get the whole 680.00 from them. The only time is doesnt double is cleaning, but that is paid 100% so that is why, there is no extra for them to pay. We get 1500/year each plan, so thats 3000.00.

Hope that helps. I can tell you that the insurance co doesn't know much about it LOL they can never answer a ? on it. I just let the payments go through and thats how I know what they pay.

Oh and braces are 2000.00 lifetime, so I could of got 4000.00 and didn't know, so I paid 2000.00 I didn't have too It was too late by the time I found out.

I'm hoping our dental insurances work that way! Your ortho at $2000 is great! Is that per person covered? DH's is $1500 per person per lifetime and mine will be $1000 per person per lifetime, but that's still $2500 we won't have to pay towards braces - we hope!

 

[rascalmom]

It really depends on the policy - some do not coordinate at all. There is a clause to look for, something to the effect of "will not be eligible for coverage if the primary insurer does not consider the claim eligible"...

This is becoming more common - especially with "discount" or ppo type plans. You would need to get info from your HR departments on both plans to be sure.

 

[Luv'sTink]

It really depends on the policy - some do not coordinate at all. There is a clause to look for, something to the effect of "will not be eligible for coverage if the primary insurer does not consider the claim eligible"...

This is becoming more common - especially with "discount" or ppo type plans. You would need to get info from your HR departments on both plans to be sure.

This is what DSister said also.