Dental Plan Articles
1. Getting the Most from Your Dental Plan.
2. Understanding Dental Benefits.
3. Importance of Dental Benefits
Dental Insurance Plans Offered
1. Indemnity Plans
2. Dental HMOs
3. Preferred Provider Organizations
4. Dental Discount and Reimbursement Plans |
Dental Discount
This type of dental plan is not insurance. The managing organizations have negotiated with local dental offices to establish a set price for a particular dental procedure and offer deep discounts (some from 20-60%) off the regular ADA pricing code. This plan has several advantages over traditional dental insurance plans. This allows a patient to receive immediate service for work without any waiting requirements and no limits on use.
Direct Reimbursement Plans
A dental care plan now coming into vogue is the direct reimbursement plan. This is a self-funded benefit plan — not insurance — in which an employer pays for dental care with its own funds, rather than paying premiums to an insurance company or third-party administrator. You, the patient, pay the full amount directly to the dentist, then get a receipt detailing services rendered and the cost, which you show to your employer. The employer reimburses you for part or all of the dental costs, depending on your specific benefits.
Your company might reimburse 100 percent of your first $100 of dental expenses and then 80 percent of the next $500, and 50 percent of the next $2,000, with a total annual maximum benefit of $1,500. Or it might reimburse only 50 percent of your first $1,000, resulting in a $500 yearly cap.
Some typical features of a direct reimbursement plan:
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Neither you nor your employer pay monthly premiums
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Freedom to choose any dentist
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Typical employer cost: depends on the number of employees and
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benefit caps
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Benefits usually capped at $500 to $2,000 annually
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