Where is the Best Place to Find Dental Insurance? Taking care of your teeth is one of the most important parts of your overall health and wellness. Dental appointments should be part of your normal routine and attended regularly, not just when you have a problem that needs to be addressed. Whether you're looking for a hygiene checkup or cosmetic concerns like tooth whitening, visiting your dentist regularly can keep you happy, healthy, and smiling with all those pearly whites.
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eHealth is a licensed insurance agency that works with a wide range of insurance providers to help you find, compare, and enroll in the ideal insurance for you. This platform covers everything from medical to vision to dental. You can search for your coverage using eHealth's online database or by calling one of their team members on the phone. Either way, you'll get a list of plans personalized to your situation. eHealth has been around for over 25 years, and promises live support any time you have a question.
Search features
To get started, make sure you've selected dental insurance. Then, you'll put in your zip code before filling out some quick forms to tell eHealth more about the dental coverage you need. You'll be shown a scrolling list of plans, and the listings show the name of the provider, the cost per month, and any deadlines you need to keep an eye on if you want to qualify for the insurance policy in the near future. If you want in-depth descriptions of the plans, you'll need to click on each individual option to see the primary benefits, and whether or not there is a required commitment (some dental insurance policies require a commitment of 12 months when you first join).
16 different providers for insurance
For filling out the forms, we created a test customer who is a single person aged 34 living in Central Florida looking for coverage that includes basic appointments and potential orthodontia. For this individual, eHealth offered us 19 different plans. These included DHMO and PPO plans from a variety of providers including:
For our test customer, we were offered plans from 5 of these listed providers, including Humana, MetLife, Ameritas, UnitedHealthcare, and ManhattanLife.
Prices from $11.99 to $83 per month
In terms of cost, we found the best price to be $11.99 from Humana, which included teeth cleanings (zero charge), fillings with a $30 to $45 copay, and crowns at a $410 copay. This plan did not include any mention of orthodontics, though. The most costly plan through eHealth was underwritten by MetLife for $83 per month. You get full coverage for teeth cleanings, filings covered for up to 90% of the total cost, and crowns covered for up to 60% of the total cost. This option also did not offer orthodontics.
They price match to the insurer
The only promises or guarantees offered by eHealth are that they will offer the same prices as buying directly from the insurer. They also promise and make plenty of "pledges" regarding customer service, but there aren't any guarantees backed by refund policies. You can cancel your insurance at any time during the underwriting process (before your first payment or charge).
Insurance for all kinds of health
Since eHealth is a broker for all kinds of insurance beyond dental, you can get everything from health insurance to gap insurance, to vision, and more. If you buy dental insurance through eHealth, you can also add vision insurance to most plans for $11.20 per month.
Some issues with customer service
eHealth has a solid standing with the Better Business Bureau, with an "A+" rating and accreditation. However, on third-party review sites, eHealth isn't as popular with just 3.5 stars overall. Customers who have bought insurance through eHealth complained that the service is "good" but it has limitations compared to other brokers. While many customers were happy with the experience, some noted that the customer service agents didn't know enough about different policies to explain them or to resolve problems that arose. There are a range of recent reviews complaining about the "unprofessional" attitudes of the eHealth customer service team.
Needs to improve its service and offerings
Hopefully, you won't need customer service regarding your dental insurance, but if you do, you want to be able to trust that the broker has your back. Given the complaints about the customer service at eHealth, it doesn't rank as highly as it could. While the plans are solid, none that we were offered included orthodontics, so you may need to get separate insurance if you want orthodontic care. For these reasons, eHealth comes in a little below average in our review.
Continued from above...
Taking care of your teeth is one of the most important parts of your overall health and wellness. Dental appointments should be part of your normal routine and attended regularly, not just when you have a problem that needs to be addressed. Whether you're looking for a hygiene checkup or cosmetic concerns like tooth whitening, visiting your dentist regularly can keep you happy, healthy, and smiling with all those pearly whites.
However, as with many medical and preventative care appointments, the cost of dental work can get pretty high. A recent study shows that the national average cost for a standard visit (dental exam, cleaning, and x-rays) is around $203 per visit. If you're not one of the lucky folks who get dental with their job benefits, grabbing your own dental insurance is a sure way to make sure you save money and keep your teeth healthy at the same time.
If you need other procedures like fillings, crowns, or root canals, your total cost at the dentist could be thousands of dollars (crowns can cost up to $1,800 per tooth). While you can't do much about the cost of the dentists themselves, there are some resources to help you find affordable dental insurance to keep costs down.
A recent study compared different monthly costs (including preventative visits) and found that those with insurance paid $800 less per year than those without. Plus, if you get insurance, many of the basics are free of charge, making it less likely that you will need more complicated or expensive trips to the dentist in the future.
Now, when you decide to grab dental insurance, you'll want to keep a few things in mind. Like health insurance, your dental insurance company will have a network of accepted providers. If you have a dentist you really love, you'll want to make sure you grab insurance that is taken by your current dentist. In-network insurance policies will usually cover 100% of preventative dental care, up to 80% of basic procedures (fillings, root canals, and extractions), and up to 50% of major procedures like crowns, implants, and treatment for gum disease. Keep in mind many plans do not include orthodontics (such as braces), but most insurers or brokers offer at least one plan that does include specialist care.
In general, you can find a few types of dental plans. First is the Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). This is the common "network" approach where dentists join a PPO network and set up their fee schedule with the insurance provider. You can go out of network with PPO plans, but you may have higher out-of-pocket fees. The other main option is the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans which have a more restricted network requirement. For HMO (sometimes called DHMO in dental insurance), you are not able to go out of network and still use your insurance benefits.
If you're ready to support your dental health and enjoy the security of covered preventative care, but don't know which dental insurance service to choose, we've put together some factors to help you decide:
To help you find the best dental insurance for your sparkling smile, Top Consumer Reviews has researched and ranked the top providers and brokers out there today. Whether you prefer total coverage for dental and orthodontics or a simpler option that focuses on preventative care, there's a dental insurance plan out there waiting for you. This way, you can enjoy your pearly whites and save some money in the process!
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Why Has Dental Insurance Become So Popular?
A person's smile often is the first thing others notice about them. A beautiful set of pearly whites can make or break that first impression.
Keeping our teeth, gums and mouth healthy goes a long way in improving our appearance. As we age, our teeth develop numerous issues which should be monitored and treated by a dental professional. But let's face it - dental procedures can be expensive. Even a routine exam and cleaning can cost over $100 in most areas. Costs can be even higher for those without dental insurance.
Recent figures indicate that 42 percent of all Americans go without dental insurance, which in turn results in a lack of regular visits to the dentist.
However, studies in recent years have linked improper dental care and health to everything from heart disease to diabetes and even cancer. A healthy mouth is the first step toward a healthy body.
Some people are lucky and have dental insurance included as part of their regular health insurance package through an employer. For those people, espousing the benefits of proper dental hygiene and care are unnecessary. They have the benefits in place and are happy to use them.
For those who are not lucky enough to have dental insurance through an employer, the benefits of purchasing your own plan through an insurance broker or directly from a dental insurance company are numerous.
Dental insurance plans have seen an increase in popularity in recent years due to the general populations' growing knowledge about the important of proper dental hygiene. This includes a twice-annual exam and cleaning by a dental professional. A recent spate of television ads promoting dental insurance plans has helped to spur that growth, accounting for roughly a 7 percent increase in the number of people who sought out and purchased dental insurance plans.
Another reason dental insurance plans have become so popular is that they are easier to navigate than a traditional health insurance plan. Because there are only so many dental procedures a person can undergo, plans are very clear as to what they cover and how much coverage is included.
Dental insurance plans also tend to be more affordable than traditional healthcare coverage plans, and the cost remains stable from year to year, whereas healthcare insurance costs are less predictable and often skyrocket from year to year.
Employers also are taking notice of the rise in popularity in dental insurance plans and are considering them as part of a comprehensive healthcare package to help attract the best employees. Next to annual salary, benefits are the next most important factor for many individuals when considering employment. Companies which offer healthcare and dental plans are more likely to not only attract the best people for the job, but retain them from one year to the next.
If you are among the people who are not lucky enough to have dental insurance through your employee benefits package, but would like to secure your own coverage, be sure to review the best plans for your area before making a decision.
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