I need Dental Insurance

[NinaBella]

What companies would you recommend I look into?

I am retiring from the military and need dental coverage for a family of 4 that includes orthodontics and major restoration (dental implants: one needs to be replaced, another natural tooth has to go and get an implant). The kids are 11 and 12, DD is going into phase 2 of brace soon and DS was told his target range full braces at age 13 (6 months away). My older boys (grown now, not covered under me) both had wisdom teeth removed in high school so I expect the same for the younger ones.

Met Life (Tricare Retiree Dental Program) quote is $106 a month
Cigna 1500 (USAA recommendation) quote is $99 a month

To me, these rates are expensive.

What other insurances companies have really great dental plans at affordable rates.

 

[ilovemk76]

What companies would you recommend I look into?

I am retiring from the military and need dental coverage for a family of 4 that includes orthodontics and major restoration (dental implants: one needs to be replaced, another natural tooth has to go and get an implant). The kids are 11 and 12, DD is going into phase 2 of brace soon and DS was told his target range full braces at age 13 (6 months away). My older boys (grown now, not covered under me) both had wisdom teeth removed in high school so I expect the same for the younger ones.

Met Life (Tricare Retiree Dental Program) quote is $106 a month
Cigna 1500 (USAA recommendation) quote is $99 a month

To me, these rates are expensive.

What other insurances companies have really great dental plans at affordable rates.

You really think that $100/month is expensive for dental insurance for a family with one in braces and a second one going into braces and two implants?

I think they are the best you will find.

 

[Southernmiss]

You really think that $100/month is expensive for dental insurance for a family with one in braces and a second one going into braces and two implants?

I think they are the best you will find.

I agree. Most dental I'm familiar with has very limited orthodontic coverage. I feel fortunate to have routine checkups fully covered, much less other care. Our plan has $1000 lifetime orthodontic coverage. That's it. Braces here are at least $5000.

From what I've heard (from family), military insurance is very good and many in the military would be surprised if they had to get insurance on the open market. I think insurance is one of the biggest perks of the military. I know and appreciate the Huge sacrifices of the military and their families.

My brother in law is in the military and is staying in because of how it covers my nieces medical care for spina bifida complications.

Dh is switching from a state employer to a federal employer this month and our health insurance is dropping by $200 a month for similar coverage. So I believe federal plans offered may be cheaper than open market.

 

[lanejudy]

Those rates sound high if you are used to employer-sponsored plans, which generally carry just a minimal employee-paid premium each month.

Honestly, look at the benefits you'll get from each -- including deductibles copays/co-insurance, coverage limits, discounts, etc. Even with insurance, most coverages are quite limited for orthodontics (usually a lifetime limit, not annual) and other "major" restorative work (you might be able to spread this across 2 calendar years to get more covered). Unless the coverage will also include discounts for non-covered work, you may simply be better off passing on the insurance and putting that approx. $1200 into the payments.

Wisdom teeth removal should actually be covered under your health insurance.

I'd ask the dentist for some estimates, as well, so you have figures to work with.

And make sure your dentist/orthodontist/oral surgeon is a participating provider under the insurance plan or coverage will be lower.

Good luck!

 

[bigbabyblues]

Our dental insurance (Delta, i think) does not cover orthodontics at all. When oldest ds got his braces, our policy paid $1000 max towards it. I have never heard of any dental plan that will pay more that that for braces.

 

[MSLRAC]

You really think that $100/month is expensive for dental insurance for a family with one in braces and a second one going into braces and two implants?

I think they are the best you will find.

I agree. We pay $175 a month for family dental through BCBS with no orthodontics coverage. We're fighting with them now to cover two implants or a bridge for DD10 because she's missing her adult lateral incisors and that has to be addressed before we can start with her braces. At this point, it looks like we're going to be paying for all of that work OOP too.

So $100 a month sounds great to me!

 

[bumbershoot]

From what I've heard (from family), military insurance is very good and many in the military would be surprised if they had to get insurance on the open market. I think insurance is one of the biggest perks of the military.

But retired military are/can be different. My friend's husband is retired and they do now have to get Dental elsewhere.


OP do those listed insurances actually include what you will need? That's the real question.

We pay over $70 for us and if we each get a checkup twice a year, we barely cover the premium. If we have some work done then it's sort of worth it. Sort of. Orthodontia isn't covered very much, and something like wisdom teeth could easily go into medical insurance if it requires surgery and serious anesthetics and such. That's not just on Dental.

 

[Southernmiss]

But retired military are/can be different. My friend's husband is retired and they do now have to get Dental elsewhere.

OP do those listed insurances actually include what you will need? That's the real question.

We pay over $70 for us and if we each get a checkup twice a year, we barely cover the premium. If we have some work done then it's sort of worth it. Sort of. Orthodontia isn't covered very much, and something like wisdom teeth could easily go into medical insurance if it requires surgery and serious anesthetics and such. That's not just on Dental.

I do realize that retired military is different from active. My point was that if op has been active all this time then they might have sticker shock at the cost of insurance outside of active duty military.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Do you not already purchase dental for your family? Only the military member receives dental care for free in the active component. The family has to purchase a dental plan. You can continue to stay with Metlife if you have a plan now. Nothing should change really with your dental coverage when you retire.

 

[smokeyblue]

Your experience could be totally different, but in the last year or so my mom broke a molar biting on a chip. The only options were extraction or dental implant. They found out that their dental insurance wouldn't cover a dime of any of it because it wasn't caused by an "accident". They wouldn't even pay to have the little chunk of tooth left extracted. In the end she did get the implant at the cost of $5k . . . ouch.

Most dental insurance doesn't seem to cover a whole lot. There are usually pretty low maximums and high co-pays for anything other than a cleaning.

 

[trip]

OP - We have had Delta Dental of California http://www.trdp.org/ since my DH retired and have been very pleased with them. Our plan has a maximum yearly benefit of 1300 (the 2 yearly cleanings per person do not count towards the maximum). The orthodontic lifetime max. is 1750 and Implants are covered at 50%.

If you have some expensive dental years coming up, you might run the numbers and see if it would benefit you to have 2 different insurance policies (especially if you or your spouse can get it through work). We did that for a few years when two our DDs had braces and needed DH needed some crowns.

 

[MomToOne]

I have no advice on specific plans - my employer changes every year I think, it drives me NUTS. But my words of wisdom are to be sure to watch the maximum coverage each year - amounts can vary widely and with implants you will want the highest coverage you can get. Also question each plan carefully on the implant coverage. I had one plan that made it sound like they covered implants, but once you really drilled down, they only partially covered the crown portion they put on top of it - which while expensive, isn't anywhere near the most expensive part.

I'm working on my 2nd implant - my current plan truly covers implants, but with just the basic implant surgery, I maxed out my coverage for the year on Jan. 15th this year And once you're maxed out, even the basic services like exams are not covered at all. I still have to get the crown put on - that will be another $1500ish. While I should be able to have it done in the next few months, I'm trying to figure out if I am willing to wait until next January to actually have that part done, because then it will be covered again...

 

[newdeal]

Dental insurance is a huge scam. Because you plan on using it greatly in the near future it has the potential to save you money however most people actually spend more on insurance than they use. That is how insurance companies make money, if you were getting a deal then the insurance companies would be out of business. They make it seem good until you have to deal with co-pays, maximums (yearly and lifetime), procedures that aren't covered (likely implants for many plans) etc. Some plans also have waiting periods or tiered coverage in order to stop people from signing up, using the benefits for a couple of years and then cancelling. Do some hard number crunching because saving the money you would spend on premiums and putting it towards dental work often works out better than buying dental insurance. I am in Canada maybe the situation is better in the US but the insurance companies still rake in the cash so I doubt it

 

[Judyat]

Your quotes sound reasonable to me and I think you get what you pay for. You might want to ask whoever handles insurance claims at your dentist's office which companies they have found to pay the most for the work that is done. You might find a plan that it less but the benefits are probably less too.

 

[Lewisc]

To me, these rates are expensive.

What other insurances companies have really great dental plans at affordable rates.

A group plan pools the risk. Some people use the plan some don't. Your retiree plan is probably in that category. Probably your only real option.

People buy individual dental because they know they will be using it. Insurance companies are in business to make money. Figure out what claims you expect in the next 12 months. Add at least 10% to cover costs and profit. Divide by 12. That's your premium.

Individual dental plans help you budget and give you discounts (negotiate prices) when you use participating dentists.

 

[NewCrew42]

Dental check-ups and cleaning are covered by our insurance and we have a minimum each year around $1500. I had to have my fillings replaced and spread this over a two year time period to get this maximum benefit.

When we have had to pay 100% out of pocket for dental insurance, we opted out and found it less expensive to pay out of pocket.

Currently, my DH's employer pays for dental. No coverage for orthodontics. I know DS's wisdom teeth were not covered by dental or by medical. It was considered either elective or cosmetic. Something ridiculous like that. He did have the surgery and we paid out of pocket. I often tease him about protecting his $10,000 smile.

I recommend if you are paying OOP for dental that you double check the coverage and run the numbers. Best wishes!

 

[maxaroni]

DS just had 2 wisdom teeth out...both were impacted. Our dental covered them 50%....we submitted balance to health insurance but it goes towards our $5,000.00 PP deductible

 

[edk35]

Those quotes sound very reasonable. Also, remember that there is usually a waiting period for orthodontics when first starting out with a dental plan.

 

[edk35]

Our dental insurance (Delta, i think) does not cover orthodontics at all. When oldest ds got his braces, our policy paid $1000 max towards it. I have never heard of any dental plan that will pay more that that for braces.

Ours paid 1500 per kid

 

[edk35]

What companies would you recommend I look into?

I am retiring from the military and need dental coverage for a family of 4 that includes orthodontics and major restoration (dental implants: one needs to be replaced, another natural tooth has to go and get an implant). The kids are 11 and 12, DD is going into phase 2 of brace soon and DS was told his target range full braces at age 13 (6 months away). My older boys (grown now, not covered under me) both had wisdom teeth removed in high school so I expect the same for the younger ones.

Met Life (Tricare Retiree Dental Program) quote is $106 a month
Cigna 1500 (USAA recommendation) quote is $99 a month

To me, these rates are expensive.

What other insurances companies have really great dental plans at affordable rates.

We have United Concordia.