Do Dental Discount Plans Save You Money?
With fewer people having access to dental insurance, the option of a dental discount plan has become more common. A dental discount plan allows uninsured consumers to have dental work completed at a lower rate. The rate that a dental discount plan member will receive is similar to the rate that dentists receive from insurance companies. Before signing up for a dental discount plan, consumers should carefully research their options to determine if a dental discount plan will save them money.
Other People Are Reading
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Plan Availability
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Consumers may have multiple dental discount plans to choose from, particularly in larger metropolitan areas. However, some consumers may not have any local plans available. Various online websites can help a consumer to locate a discount plan and consumers can also ask their current dentist for recommendations. Consumers that belong to social or community organizations may have access to dental discount plans through the organization. Some national dental discount plans are available, but they may offer less of a discount than locally based plans.
Provider Participation
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Consumers should check to see if their preferred dentist, or any local dentist, participates in the dental discount plan that they are considering. If the consumer must give up a current dentist or travel a long distance for dental service, the potential savings of the discount plan may not be worth it. If the consumer's dentist does not participate in the discount program, the consumer can ask the dentist to consider signing up with the plan.
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Discount Plans Vs. Insurance
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If a consumer has a choice of a dental discount plan and dental insurance, the consumer should compare the benefits available for each. Consumers that have considerable dental costs each year might find that the dental insurance is a better deal than the dental discount plan. However, for consumers with little dental expenses per year, the discount plan may make more sense. Consumers should also keep in mind that dental expenses are tax deductible as a medical expense, which will lower the total cost to the consumer.
Immediate Need
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Dental discount plans typically have one clear advantage over dental insurance: a shorter waiting period. While many dental insurance plans provide only limited coverage for a set period of time, often a year or more, dental discount plans generally provide full benefits immediately. For people needing dental work in the immediate future, a dental discount plan may be the better choice over dental insurance. However, consumers should carefully read the fine print of any dental discount plan to be certain there is no waiting period.
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References
- Photo Credit dentist image by pavel siamionov from Fotolia.com
