The Cost of Dental Insurance
There are various different types of dental insurance and dental care plans available either as a private individual or offered as an employee benefit. The cost of dental insurance will vary according to the plan you choose and how the insurance is covered.
Some low cost dental care plans start as low as a few dollars a month and you can get a low cost capitation (HMO) dental insurance for as little as $6 per month.
Capitation dental insurance is an insurance whereby a fixed fee is paid to a dentist per patient registered. In return for the fixed fee the dentist will provide free routine dental care although clients may have to pay a fee for each visit and the level of non routine work covered will be dependant on the dental insurance policy. The cost of this type of dental insurance is generally quite affordable with monthly premiums ranging between around $6 and $16 per month.
If you want to select your own dentist you might want to opt for an indemnity dental insurance plan which will mean that your dental insurance provider will reimburse your dentist for any work carried out. The dental insurance will generally cover between 50% and 80% of the cost with the remainder having to be paid for by the dental insurance policy holder. Indemnity dental insurance will only cover the cost of certain procedures as detailed in the policy document and the level of deductibles can prove to be quite high for non-preventative work. As with most dental insurance annual limits are likely to be applied. Indemnity dental insurance starts at around $15 per month with more comprehensive policies likely to set you back around $25.
Preferred provider dental insurance will allow you to receive dental care from participating dentists who in turn will offer dental care at a greatly reduced rate. If you use a non participating dentist your benefits are greatly reduced. The cost of such a dental insurance is higher than many of the alternative options with the monthly premiums likely to be in excess of $20.
For those of you who are lucky enough to have dental care included as an employee benefit through a reimbursement plan the cost to you will depend on the level of dental insurance your employer provides. Such alternatives to dental insurance can cover 100% of your dental cost but it does vary from employer to employer and there is usually an annual limit to the amount you can claim.
