There are two standard types of dental plans available to individuals and families in the state of Kansas. These are dental insurance and discount dental plans. Some people may be fortunate enough to be able to buy one or the other through a group dental plan offered by their place of employment, while others are forced to buy their dental plan through a private agent. The question that most of these people face is “which plan is better, dental insurance or discount plans”? Let’s do a quick review of each type of plan and then you can decide for yourself which will make the most sense for you and your family.
Dental Insurance
Dental insurance is similar in some ways to traditional health insurance. You pay a premium, usually by the month and you pay a co-pay when you visit your dentist. Most insurance plans will cover the majority of the costs for routine care such as cleanings, fluoride treatments, x-rays and other basic care. The reasoning behind this is so they can catch any problems before they become a major issue that would have to be paid for down the road.
Pro’s – the advantages of having a dental insurance plan are that you would be in a better position than 70%of the rest of the USA because that many people have no dental plan at all. You’ll be able to get your teeth taken care of on a regular basis in order to prevent major problems that occur with neglect of dental hygiene.
Con’s – to be completely honest, the con’s outweigh the pro’s where dental insurance is concerned. I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news, however facts are facts. One major drawback is that insurance is expensive. Yes, there are cheesy inexpensive policies available online for around $7-$8.00 per month but they are not all they’re made out to be. I highly recommend that you read the policy exclusions very carefully before you buy one of these. The policy exclusions will inform what the policy does NOT pay for. I think you’ll find that I’m right and that they’re not worth it.
Another drawback of dental insurance is the fact that they will not pay for pre-existing conditions that you already had when you bought the policy. This is actually very standard with all types of insurance. That means that if you have an immediate need then you’ll have to pay for it 100% from your own pocket. You’ll have a mandatory waiting time of one full year before you’ll receive any assistance from the insurance company for anything pre-existing and even then you’ll only receive minimal assistance.
Also, if you have children that need braces then you’ll need a completely separate policy known as an Orthodontics insurance plan. These types of dental insurance will help you pay for things like braces, but once again, pre-existing conditions are NOT covered. Also, these plans offer very limited coverage. They may pay up to 50% of the costs of your orthodontic care, but have a $1,000.00 annual coverage limit. You need to read the fine print very carefully before you buy.
Discount Dental Plans
Discount dental plans, in Kansas and most other states, offer substantial savings on most types of dental care. These plans aren’t insurance and nothing is paid directly to a dentist. They simply offer big discounts on things that you would normally have to pay the full cost for. Here’s how a discount dental plan works.
#1. You locate a provider in your are that accepts discount plans. Many of these have over 100,000 providers nationwide so finding a dentist should be no problem.
#2. You join the plan. This is very affordable as most discount plans cost less than $100.00 per year for an individual or $150.00 for a family plan.
#3. Within 2-3 business days you can see a dentist within the network of the plan. Simply make an appointment.
#4. Show them your discount card at the time of your appointment.
#5. The dentist will likely want to do an in depth check-up and find out any problems that you may have. After this, he or she will tell you what needs to be done.
#6. At this point you simply decide what you can afford to pay for at that time and have it taken care of.
#7. Pay the dentist in full for their services.
Many of these plans offer savings as high as 60% off so paying the dentis shouldn’t be much of an issue, especially when you would have had to pay 100% without the plan.
There are no premiums to pay, no co-pays, pre-existing conditions are allowed, no problems.
If you or someone you love needs to see a dentist soon then simply enter you zip code in the light blue box above or call us Toll Free 1-855-214-7725 Right Now. Find a provider in your area and get signed up today. By doing so you’ll save an additional 10% off the already low cost of our Kansas Dental Plans. Don’t put it off any longer! Enter code JE10 When You Check-out!