Individuals and families of all ages are eligible for coverage with most all companies.
Routine preventive services (cleanings), basic services (fillings & simple extractions), major services (such as oral surgery, root canals and crowns) and orthodontic services are covered depending on the plan selected.
Most plans cover two cleanings per year (some offer three) plus routing x-rays. Beyond that, basic and major services are covered up the annual plan maximums. Typically maximum payouts per calendar year are $1,000 – $5,000 depending on the lever of coverage purchased.
What About Waiting Periods?
Most policies have no waiting periods for preventive services like cleanings and x-rays. Beyond that, it’s not unusual to see waits of 6 months for basic services and 1 year for major services. There are still other options with no waiting periods, but they might cover a smaller percentage in the first year.
Other insurance companies who waive the waiting period if you have existing coverage. If you need coverage to begin right away, we can help. We can also help you find a plan that your dentist and/or eye doctor accepts.
Many of our clients want to know if they can use two separate dental insurance plans together for the same claim. The answer is, Yes!
This is helpful for those who are anticipating a lot of dental work and some large claims. It’s important to know that waiting periods will usually apply with both policies. So it’s wise to purchase dental insurance well in advance of any claims. These waiting periods are sometimes 12 months for major services.
However, you can stack two dental plans and bill both simultaneously by having at least one that does not coordinate benefits. This allows you to bill both insurance companies and get reimbursed up to calendar year maximums. We’ve seen this strategy lower our clients out-of-pocket costs significantly. Oftentimes, it can cover nearly all of their dental costs.
And it also helps to make sure your dentist is in-network with one or both policies. We can help you check to make sure you’re getting as much of your dental work covered by using two dental insurance plans at once.
Many insurance companies offer dental, vision and hearing coverage for those age 50 and above.
If you’re on Medicare, you know Supplements don’t cover much in the way of ancillary benefits. On the other hand, Medicare Advantage plans can cover some dental, vision and hearing benefits, but the networks can be small.
Fortunately, there are several companies offering policies that cater to seniors. Some plans pay up to $5,000 per year with no waiting periods if you have existing coverage that’s ending. Companies like Aetna, Cigna, Medico and United Healthcare are all popular with our clients in this market segment.
Not all of these companies offer direct-to-consumer quoting software. Please contact us to discuss all of your best options.
Humana & United Healthcare (use the links above) as well as VSP & EyeMed (use the Ameritas link) all offer popular stand-alone vision coverage.
Most policies have a small copay for an exam – typically $10 -$20. Frames, lenses and/or contacts will also be available at discounted rates or for a small copay. Others might offer an annual allowance for certain items like designer frames.
There are no waiting periods. Coverage begins right away. If you wear both glasses and contacts, then certain policies will allow for both in the same year. Contact us if you’re unsure.
All plans have large nationwide networks, but VSP and EyeMed are two of the most well-known and widely accepted. See both by clicking on Ameritas links above.
If you are unsure about which dental, vision & hearing policies might be best, contact us today. We are happy to walk you through all of your options.
There are never any charges to use our services. We’ll simply work to find the most suitable coverage for you and/or your family.