how can I get Dental Insurance?

Question

Hi, I'm on SSDI - and I have Medicare and Wisconsin Hirsp - a high risk state program, and neither covers any dental work for me, and I've been paying for everything out of my pocket and I've spent a small fortune on dental work.

What other coverage can I get. I don't have a lot of income - but I think it will be worth it to try to get coverage. I'm in Wisconsin.

thanks

We're sorry, but we could not find any discount dental plans available in your area.

that was in reply to answer #1 - I appreciated the effort, but I've already tried all these.

none of the discount plans have any providers in my area. They are all useless to me.

Answer 1

You have three options with dental.

Insurance - Depending upon the policy: cost $30-$60 per month. $50 deductible, annual maximum of $750 - $1500, waiting period up to 18 months for major work and then you're paying 50% of the charges. Example - average cost for a root canal in my area is $829. With insurance you pay $414 after paying 18 months of premium (around $800 or $900). Advantage - you can use any dentist with most plans.

Discount plans - Cost - $5-$12 per month. No deductible, no annual maximum and no waiting periods. Also, hardly any dentists will accept the plan and when they do you MIGHT get a 10% discount, which is about the same discount you can get by paying cash. Example - average cost for a root canal in my area is $829. With discount plans you pay around $746. Be very wary of these plans because most are scams. The people that sell these plans have little or no knowledge about health & dental insurance and do not need a license to sell them. The plans are not regulated by the state so you have no recourse when you have problems. Some states are starting to ban these plans from being sold. Here is an informative link http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2006/11/22/74554.htm concerning these plans.

Fee for Service discount plans - Cost $7-$15 per month. No deductible, no annual maximum and no waiting periods. Many dentist will accept the plan (check providers first before signing up with any plan). When you use the plan there is a set fee that the dentist will charge you. Example - average cost for a root canal in my area is $829. With fee for service plans you pay as little as $404.

I'm an insurance agent and my personal plan is the fee for service plan. I got mine here http://www.dpbrokers.com/default.aspx?lo... specifically the Aetna Dental Access plan but which one you get depends upon your area and comparing the fee schedule to find the best for what you need covered.

Answer 2

Hi

It is difficult to get dental insurance on your own. Most dental insurance is provided to employees by their employers as a benefit. Ask your employer or colleagues about this.

Apart from these there are dental reimbursement plans, dental group plans and so on which are different types of dental covers offered by employers to their employees. IF your employer happens to offer them then you can opt for them.

I am assuming here that you don't have any employer given dental cover, in that case a dental discount plan - sort of discount club to get savings on your dental treatment costs is an option you can explore.

But from your reply I think even this option has not worked for you.

There is one suggestion I can offer that I hope will reduce your dental bills, since you say you don't have a big income. Try the local dental schools. The schools need patients for their students to learn their craft. So, you can get a lot of dental work done cheap or for FREE. It won't be great quality work but it won't be bad either. Experienced supervisors will be around keeping an eye on their students and patients. So that is an option you can explore.

If you insist on dental insurance then check out the blog below, I saw a link to "Get a quote" for dental insurance. May be they have dental insurance on it. I don't know cos I did not check that out.

Answer 3

I am sure you have checked into this, but are you sure that SSDI doesn't cover some dental work. My grand-daughter is on SSDI and just had to find the right clinic associated with our local hospital and her regular dental work bills were covered. I know regular dentists didn't accept the SSDI, but when we found the right clinic, we were all set. Good Luck

Answer 4

With Ameriplan, you can save a lot of money at the dentist. The dental plan is only $11.95/month for an individual and includes free vision, prescription, and chiropractic plans. You can read more about it at the site below.

Answer 5

try aflac, i pay about $50.00 a month for my wife and i