i need dental insurance company

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looking
Posts: 709
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 6:14 pm
Location: morgan hill ,ca

i need dental insurance company

Post by looking »

Hi all

I'm retired , and i’m medicare (original) So I don't have dental coverage. I have to buy my own private dental insurance company. Anyone just tell me where to find reputable good dental insurance company . or i just pay cash to dentists without dental insurance,
Thank you

looking
john94549
Posts: 4638
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:50 pm

Re: i need dental insurance company

Post by john94549 »

By-and-large, dental insurance is just a joke waiting for a laugh. You basically pay (up front) for the maximum coverage for a year, divided by 12. My wife and I had (and have) dental insurance for these many years, and it always was a wash.

Bottom line: one crown, a couple of fillings, and "poof" the yearly insurance limit is exceeded. Your yearly premiums will hardly (if ever) exceed the maximum insurance payout. The best way to save money at the dentist: ask for a cash discount. The "going rate" discount hereabouts is 5%.
jebmke
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Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:44 pm
Location: Delmarva Peninsula

Re: i need dental insurance company

Post by jebmke »

I have looked at dental "insurance" a couple of times. I could never get it to make sense financially.
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stoptothink
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Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 8:53 am

Re: i need dental insurance company

Post by stoptothink »

I echo the sentiments of the other posters. Rarely does it make financial sense.
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mickeyd
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Location: Deep in the Heart of South Texas

Re: i need dental insurance company

Post by mickeyd »

Dental insurance is not insurance. It is a prepaid dental plan. Only the insurance company and the agent will come out on top most of the time.

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BigSaver
Posts: 139
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2015 7:31 am

Re: i need dental insurance company

Post by BigSaver »

I'm retired & have a MetLife plan purchased through the medicare broker. Most of the dentists in my area are in MetLife's network, which is good, because the network price for services is slightly discounted. Note: Federal employees have the option to buy a MetLife dental insurance plan, and so it seems that areas with a lot of federal employees tend to have a lot of dentists in the network, presumably because dentists want more business from federal employees.

My plan costs about $48/month and limits its annual benefit payout to $1500. Last year, I had no tooth problems, just check-ups, so the insurance company "won". This year: a root canal & crown, so this year I "win" (big).

I believe Cigna and Delta Dental are 2 other companies I've heard of, who offer plans.

If you are a member of USAA, check what they offer (Cigna, I think). Beware of exclusion periods, like: no major work for 12-24 months. Just so you are not caught by surprise.
john94549
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Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:50 pm

Re: i need dental insurance company

Post by john94549 »

As a retired person, I just budget dental as I would other expenses.
123
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Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2012 3:55 pm

Re: i need dental insurance company

Post by 123 »

Some Medicare Advantage programs include options for dental benefits at an extra monthly fee.

If there's a dental school in your area you may want to consider going to them for dental care. Their costs tend to be lower and the care is generally excellent because it is reviewed by another dentist. The downside to care at a dental school is that scheduling can be more difficult and the procedures will take longer. A filling that takes 30 minutes with a regular dentist may take 2 hours at a dental school.
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